Isabella 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 |
49,002 |
95.85% |
57,098 |
95.17% |
Spanish |
598 |
1.17% |
985 |
1.64% |
Other Indo-European* |
1,064 |
2.08% |
851 |
1.42% |
Asian Language** |
263 |
0.51% |
598 |
1.00% |
Other |
199 |
0.39% |
466 |
0.78% |
Total Population Age 5+ |
51,126 |
100.00% |
59,998 |
100.00% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
302 |
30.66% |
Other Indo-European* |
150 |
17.63% |
Asian Language** |
317 |
53.01% |
Other Language |
54 |
11.59% |
Total |
823 |
1.37% |
Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990
|
Language Spoken at Home: |
Number |
Percent |
Spanish |
290 |
48.49% |
Other Indo-European* |
351 |
32.99% |
Asian Language** |
60 |
22.81% |
Other Language |
64 |
32.16% |
Total |
765 |
1.50% |
* "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