The map above shows the most commonly spoken languages state-by-state after English and Spanish. Interestingly, the language areas correspond to immigration numbers since the country was founded.
Take a look at the map, think about your ethnic heritage, and see where the language of your family origins is located in the melting pot that is the United States.
The four most prevalent languages in the country are:
English – Is spoken by 79 percent of the population. It’s the default official language of the country because it’s the language that’s used by the government to conduct its business and communicate.
Spanish – Spanish is spoken as a first language by about 38 million Americans. The prevalence of Spanish is shown by the amount of students and adults studying it as a second language – children and adults are learning it as a second language in record numbers. The U.S. is the fifth largest Spanish speaking country in the world.
Chinese – The third largest spoken language in the U.S. is spoken by 3 million Americans. While Cantonese is dominant, more people are beginning to study Mandarin as it is the official language of the People’s Republic of China.
Tagalog – a Philippine language, is the fourth-most spoken language in the U.S. It’s spoken by almost 2 million people. Filipinos are the second fastest growing Asian population in the country after China.
