Shelby County
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 |
88,887 |
97.19% |
126,979 |
95.80% |
Spanish |
945 |
1.03% |
3,332 |
2.51% |
Other Indo-European* |
1,151 |
1.26% |
1,500 |
1.13% |
Asian Language** |
356 |
0.39% |
458 |
0.35% |
Other |
115 |
0.13% |
273 |
0.21% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
91,454 |
100.00% |
132,542 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
1,487 |
44.63% |
Other Indo-European* |
427 |
28.47% |
Asian Language** |
134 |
29.26% |
Other Language |
23 |
8.42% |
Total |
2,071 |
1.56% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
225 |
23.81% |
Other Indo-European* |
235 |
20.42% |
Asian Language** |
154 |
43.26% |
Other Language |
31 |
26.96% |
Total |
645 |
0.71% |
* "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).
Home | About | Help | Contact | Use Policy