Norfolk 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 |
517,784 |
89.85% |
520,486 |
85.54% |
Spanish |
8,623 |
1.50% |
12,287 |
2.02% |
Other Indo-European* |
33,593 |
5.83% |
42,325 |
6.96% |
Asian Language** |
12,348 |
2.14% |
26,974 |
4.43% |
Other |
3,945 |
0.68% |
6,416 |
1.05% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
576,293 |
100.00% |
608,488 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
3,407 |
27.73% |
Other Indo-European* |
12,756 |
30.14% |
Asian Language** |
14,018 |
51.97% |
Other Language |
1,511 |
23.55% |
Total |
31,692 |
5.21% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
2,885 |
33.46% |
Other Indo-European* |
10,402 |
30.96% |
Asian Language** |
7,041 |
57.02% |
Other Language |
946 |
23.98% |
Total |
21,274 |
3.69% |
* "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