Most commonly spoken languages in the USA

by Target Language Translation Services

- October 17 2021

As one of the world’s biggest melting pots, the United States is home to people from all different backgrounds. It is a country that was founded by immigrants, which is evident through the various cultures that are prevalent throughout each region.

While English is the most commonly spoken language in the USA, there is actually no official language. Today, more than 350 languages are spoken in the US and the number of people in the US who speak a language other than English continues to increase. This is due to the ever-expanding diversity of language in the United States and the increasing trend toward bilingual households, but a few of the most common non-English languages spoken might surprise you.

English

The most spoken language in the United States of America is, of course, English. With more than 231 million speakers, it’s often mistaken as being the official language of the US.

Though it isn’t the official language, it is the de facto national language, which is just a fancy term for being unofficially official. Everything is in English with the exception of some districts in various states where a concentrated population of a certain culture can dominate.

Spanish

Spanish is by far the most dominant language in the United States after English. With 40.5 million speakers, the number of Spanish-speakers in the US far exceeds any other language on this list. The highest population of Spanish-speakers can be found in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Chicago.

Chinese

Different Chinese languages follow Spanish as the third most dominant language in the United States. About 3.4 million people speak a Chinese dialect such as Mandarin or Cantonese in the US. While there aren’t as many speakers of this language (3 million speakers), Chinese is still a vastly popular language in the USA, and continues to be on the rise. You’re most likely to find Chinese dialect-speakers in New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.

Tagalog

Surprisingly, Tagalog, a language spoken by the Philippine natives, comes right after Chinese in popularity. With 1.7 million speakers, the language has tripled over the last three decades. Tagalog originates from the Philippines, though it isn’t an official language there. Tagalog is often called Filipino and while many debate over whether the two are actually the same language, Filipino is the national language of The Philippines. Speakers of Tagalog are concentrated mainly in Los Angeles, San Francisco, California, New York, Hawaii and San Diego.

Vietnamese

After the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese immigrants came to the US and established various communities around the country. 1.4 million Vietnamese speakers can found within the US, such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston among other cities, with California hosting the most Vietnamese speaking individuals. Texas also has a large concentration of Vietnamese speakers.

French

When the French used to control the Louisiana territory back in the 1700’s, waves of French settlers came along with their language and culture. Once Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase, French Creole was born.

This was due to a huge amount of slaves being brought in, and the mix of West African languages and traditional French created a new language. However, today, there are way more standard French speakers (1.3 million speakers) than there are French Creole speakers (700,000 speakers), mainly in Washington DC, Boston, Miami and New York.

Arabic

Arabic comes in many different varieties and is spoken by Muslim individuals or those who are from Middle Eastern countries. The Arabic-speaking population in the US is larger than most people likely realize. With over 1.2 million speakers, Arabic is one of the top most spoken languages in the US.

The most heavily concentrated areas of Arabic speakers are in Michigan, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Although the political climate has often turned Arabic into a sign of terror, there is no denying the presence and livelihood of Arabic speakers in the US.

Korean

While Korean immigrants have been entering the US since the 1880’s, the largest influx came about after the Korean War ended and The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished previous restrictions to Asian immigration.

With little less than 1.1 million, Korean speakers are common in the city of Chicago, New York and Washington DC. Korean culture has been on the rise lately with the popularization of Korean food and K-pop, so the number of Korean speakers might also be on the rise.

German

German is the next most spoken language in the US. German was first introduced to the US when the colonies were established. However, after the World Wars, there was a decline in the number of German speakers because speaking German was thought to be unpatriotic.

This notion has gone away and today, there are 1 million German speakers in the US. Since German is one of the foreign language options in many high schools across the US, there is a high likelihood that this language is here to stay. German is found primarily in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington DC,

Russian

Between the 1970’s and 1990’s, Russian immigrants came to the US, bringing their culture and language with them. The 910,000 Russian-speakers in the US can be found in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, among other cities. While Russian isn’t as widely spoken as the other languages on our list, it is extremely well-recognized due to the media.

Italian

Italian is one language on this list that has seen a decline in the number of speakers. The number of Italian speakers has declined by 50% since the 1980s, with the remaining 700,000 speakers residing in Chicago, Boston and New York.

With such a diverse population, the United States is home to a substantial number of numerous foreign languages. If you’re not a native US and are planning to visit or move there in the future, be assured that language will not be a barrier. Outside of our short list, there are many more languages that are widely spoken, so you’re sure to find a community that shares your native country’s culture and tongue. These are the runner-up languages for those most commonly spoken in the United States: Hindi, Portuguese, Polish, Urdu, Japanese, Persian, Gujarati, Telegu and Bengali.

This article is reprinted from GTS, BILINGUAL KIDSPOT and KENAZ.

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