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Language Trends in the U.S.A.

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  • 14% of the total population of the United States (1 out of every 7 residents) speak a language other than English at home.
  • The above figure represents a 34% increase since 1980.
  • 31.8 million residents speak English as a second language.
  • 329 languages are spoken at home in the U.S.A.
  • 14.1% collectively, are speakers of Asian languages.
  • 335,000 speak Native American languages
  • Most common languages spoken at home are:
    1. Spanish
    2. French
    3. German
    4. Italian
    5. Chinese
    6. Tagalog
    7. Polish
    8. Korean
    9. Vietnamese
    10. Portuguese
    11. Japanese
    12. Greek
    13. Arabic
    14. Hindi
    15. Russian
    16. Yiddish
    17. Thai/Lao
    18. Persian
    19. French Creole
    20. Armenian

Source: Quality Media Resources, Inc. · The Diversity Series Handout