CensusScope is a product of the Social Science Data Analysis Network.
Huntsville, 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 | 259,880 | 95.50% | 302,632 | 94.80% |
| Spanish | 3,359 | 1.23% | 6,870 | 2.15% |
| Other Indo-European* | 5,753 | 2.11% | 5,479 | 1.72% |
| Asian Language** | 2,410 | 0.89% | 3,238 | 1.01% |
| Other | 729 | 0.27% | 1,012 | 0.32% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 272,131 | 100.00% | 319,231 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 2,953 | 42.98% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,280 | 23.36% |
| Asian Language** | 1,653 | 51.05% |
| Other Language | 268 | 26.48% |
| Total | 6,154 | 1.93% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 1,071 | 31.88% |
| Other Indo-European* | 1,463 | 25.43% |
| Asian Language** | 1,247 | 51.74% |
| Other Language | 87 | 11.93% |
| Total | 3,868 | 1.42% |
* "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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