Language is such an integral part of our daily life, and several people in the US come from widely diverse language backgrounds. Around 2/3rd of all English speakers in the world live in the United States, but the US also has the 5th largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. Here are some fascinating facts about the US and the languages that its people speak.
The US Does Not Have Any Official Language
Even though 80% of Americans speak English, the US does not have an official language. The Continental Congress did not declare any official language when making the laws of the United States. This was because of the vast amount of languages that were spoken in the states at the time. Several settlers spoke Dutch, Spanish, French, and German, but there were also various Native American languages. Since then, the linguistic landscape of America has remained broadly diverse, and there is still no official language.
California is the Hotspot of Various Languages
According to the 2011 Census in the US, California is home to nearly 15 million people who do not speak English at home. This adds up to nearly 5% of the US population alone. Spanish is the most popular non-English language in California with having about 10 million speakers, and there are also plenty of Asian languages that are well represented in the state.
As per the U.S. Census, about 3,375,028 people who primarily speak Asian languages live in California. The most popular Asian language spoken in California is Tagalog, a native language of the Philippines. Filipinos cover over 1.5 million of the state’s population.
The US Has More Spanish Speakers than Spain
The United States is the home to the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in a country, with 13% people Spanish speakers living in the U.S. The Spanish-speaking population of the United States has grown 210% since 1980, and according to the report and U.S. Census data, by 2050, the United States will overtake Mexico having the most Spanish speakers at 132.8 million people.
French is Continuing to Grow in the US
Certain people might assume that since French is not as popular in schools anymore, it is not used as the way it once was. Contrary to this belief, more than 1,301,443 people speak French in the United States. Most Francophone communities are based in areas near French Canada, like Northeast Maine. Louisiana is an exception to this since, many people in rural Louisiana speak Cajun, a dialect of French, that has been passed down through generations since French-controlled Louisiana back prior to the US bought the territory in 1803.