CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Dothan, AL |
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LANGUAGE
The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.
| Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000 | ||||
| 1990 | 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Only English | 116,418 | 96.37% | 122,915 | 95.91% |
| Spanish | 1,909 | 1.58% | 2,632 | 2.05% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,565 | 1.30% | 1,700 | 1.33% |
| Asian Language** | 820 | 0.68% | 822 | 0.64% |
| Other | 87 | 0.07% | 92 | 0.07% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 120,799 | 100.00% | 128,161 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 844 | 32.07% |
| Other Indo-European* | 370 | 21.76% |
| Asian Language** | 428 | 52.07% |
| Other Language | 24 | 26.09% |
| Total | 1,666 | 1.30% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 547 | 28.65% |
| Other Indo-European* | 419 | 26.77% |
| Asian Language** | 359 | 43.78% |
| Other Language | 28 | 32.18% |
| Total | 1,353 | 1.12% |
* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."
** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.
Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.
Source: Census 2000 analyzed by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN).
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