In 1911 , the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia of Britannica estimated that there are some 1,000 different languages spoken around the world. However, that number has only increased as we continue to realize just how many languages actually exist.
Now we know that number is really somewhere closer to roughly 6,500 .
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While we typically operate under the assumption that Americans largely speak either English or Spanish, the truth is that this culturally diverse country is home to a whole plethora of languages, more than you might actually expect.
Of course, English is still the most commonly spoken language across the country, and Spanish is the second most common.
But in order to show just how colorful America’s tongues really are, Business Insider has put together a map showing the most common language spoken in each state, excluding English and Spanish.
The publication’s data was collected using the 2017 American Community Survey published by the Minnesota Population Center’s Integrated Public Use Microdata Series program.
What we can see from this map right away is that German is the most common non-English, non-Spanish language, showing up in nine states.
As Business Insider reported, there are an estimated 905,326 national speakers of German in America, which could have something to do with the fact that some of America’s first immigrants, aside from the British, came from Germany in as early as the 1670s.
French followed suit with a total of six states speaking the language at home, including Maine, South Carolina, and Louisiana.
New France (or Nouvelle France ) was the name of the French colonies of continental North America, which lasted from the early 17th century until around 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase.
Today, French cultural influences can still be found in places such as Louisiana.
There, the language has evolved into Louisiana French or Louisiana Creole, which is a unique combination of French, English, Spanish, Native American, and African words.
Interestingly, Vietnamese tied with French, and actually showed up in a few southern states, including Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, some 140,000 South Vietnamese people immigrated to America with more and more arriving ever since.
As Business Insider reported, over half of all Vietnamese-Americans now either live in California or in Texas.
A variety of other languages appear on the map, including Navajo, Arabic, and Nepali.
In Pennsylvania, for instance, the most commonly spoken language is Pennsylvania Dutch, which isn’t actually Dutch at all, but a branch of German. It’s predominantly spoken among Amish and Mennonite communities.
It’s certainly interesting to be able to look and see just how many languages can exist together in one country, and it really highlights the unique blend of cultures that make up the good ol’ US of A.
h/t: Business Insider
