美国人口普查局的互动式 “2011语种分布图”标注了美国常用的各语种。

华盛顿——美国人口普查局（U.S. Census Bureau）8月6日发布了一个互动式网上地图，标注了美国家庭使用的各种语言。人口普查局同时还发表一份详细的报告，介绍能熟练说英语的群体占总人口的比例和使用其他语言的人口不断增长等情况。

互动地图和报告以《美国常用语种：2011》（Language Use in the United States: 2011）为题。同一天商务部（Commerce Department）发布博客文章提供有关情况。美国人口普查局是商务部下属机构。

报告表明，西班牙语和汉语是美国最常用的非英语语言。大多数美国人口具备熟练说英语的能力。

报告作者，人口普查局教育和社会分层处（Education and Social Stratification Branch）的统计师卡米尔·瑞安（Camille Ryan）说，“该研究证明了非英语语言在国家机体中的作用不断增长。”

“虽然越来越多的人在家使用非英语语言，但能熟练说英语的人所占比例保持稳定。”

互动式“2011语种分布图”（2011 Language Mapper）标注了使用15种非英语语言的群体居住的区域，圆点代表使用其中一种非英语语言的人数。对毎一种语言，地图还注明那些认为自己的英语不是“很好”的人聚居的地方。“很好”是衡量英语熟练能力的一个标准。这个工具使用的数据来自2007年到2011年的美国社区调查（American Community Survey）。

互动地图所列的语言有西班牙语、法语、法国克里奥尔语（French Creole）、意大利语、葡萄牙语、德语、俄语、波兰语、波斯语、汉语、日本语、韩语、越南语、他加禄语（Tagalog）及阿拉伯语。用户在菜单上选择上述任何一种语言，就会看到一幅全国人口密度图，图上的每一个圆点代表该地约有100人在家使用这种语言。

用户还可通过聚焦放大，查看地域内小范围的情况，这时每一个圆点代表10人。为了保护语言群体的私密性，这些小圆点在人口普查分区内的安置带有随机性。

使用非英语语言的人口增长

报告根据某些社会和人口统计特征，提供了有关在家使用非英语语言的人口比例及其英语能力的资料。报告显示， 5岁和5岁以上在家使用非英语语言的美国居民中，超过一半（58%）的人同时能说“很好”的英语。

来自美国社区调查的这些数据提供了全国、各州、大都市以及小城镇等地的有关数据。

报告表明，英语“不是很好”的人口比例从2000年的8.1%上升到2007年的8.7%， 2011年保持在8.7%。在家使用非英语语言的人口比例从2000年的17.9%上升到2007年的19.7%，并一直呈上升趋势，2011年达20.8%。

2011年，在6,060万在家使用非英语语言的人口中，将近三分之二（3,760万）使用西班牙语。

在家使用西班牙语的人口比例从2005年的12%上升到2011年的12.9%，反映了总的趋势。然而与这个总趋势相反的是，同期在家使用西班牙语但英语“不是很好”的人口比例从5.7%下降到5.6%。

近期使用非英语语言的人口增长延续了过去30年的趋势。从1980年到2010年，使用非英语语言的人数增长了158%。

在最常用的17种语言中，使用越南语的人口增长最快，增加了7倍。使用西班牙语的人数增加得最多（2,590万）。与此形成对比的是，使用意大利语、德语、波兰语、意第绪语（Yiddish）或希腊语的人数同期出现下降。

报告的其他要点

·除了英语和西班牙语，至少有100万人在家使用6种其他语言：汉语（290万），他加禄语（160万），越南语（140万），法语（130万），德语（110万）和韩语（110万）。

·各州在家使用非英语语言的人口比例差别很大，如在加利福尼亚州（California），这个类别的人口占44%，而在西弗吉尼亚州（West Virginia）只占2%。

·在得克萨斯州（Texas）的拉雷多（Laredo），5岁和5岁以上居民在家使用非英语语言的人数占92%，领先所有城市地区。

·在西部、南部和东北部的大中城市地区，在家使用非英语语言的人口比例往往比较高，在中西部比例比较低，但伊利诺伊州（Illinois）除外。

·在使用西班牙语的群体中，45%国外出生的归化公民能讲“很好”的英语，而在国外出生的非公民中，这个比例只有23%。在本土出生并至少拥有学士学位或不属贫困人口的群体更有可能讲“很好”的英语。

·80%或更多使用法语和德语的群体能说“很好”的英语。与此形成对比的是，在使用韩语、汉语或越南语的人中，低于50%的人能说“很好”的英语。在使用西班牙语的群体中，这个比例是56%。

美国社区调查

作为数据来源的美国社区调查提供了关于美国所有社区人员和住房等一系列广泛的重要统计资料。统计结果可供乡镇和城市规划人员、零售商和住房建筑商等各方面的人员使用。在地方估算报告所列的40个分项中，美国社区调查是提供大多数数据的唯一来源。地方估算报告涉及教育、职业、语言、族谱和住房成本等方面，规模最小的社区也包含在内。

1790年，时任国务卿的托马斯·杰弗逊（Thomas Jefferson）指示进行美国第一次人口普查，历年收集关于美国居民的详细资料。20年后，詹姆斯·麦迪逊（James Madison）总统执政时期，又增加了关于就业和经济的问询。麦迪逊说，此类信息有助于美国国会“调整公共措施以适合于社区的具体情况”，通过数十年的积累使美国“有机会记录社会的进步”。

“2011语种分布图”和《美国常用语种：2011》（PDF，1.39MB）见美国人口普查局网站。

The U.S. Census Bureau’s “2011 Language Mapper,” an interactive online map, shows languages spoken across the United States.

Washington — The U.S. Census Bureau released an interactive, online map August 6 pinpointing the wide array of languages spoken in homes across the United States, along with a detailed report on rates of English proficiency and the growing number of speakers of other languages.

The map and the report, Language Use in the United States: 2011, were described in a Commerce Department blog post the same day. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Department.

The report shows that Spanish and Chinese are the top non-English languages spoken in the United States, and most of the U.S. population is English-proficient.

“This study provides evidence of the growing role of languages other than English in the national fabric,” said Camille Ryan, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Education and Social Stratification Branch and the report’s author.

“Yet, at the same time that more people are speaking languages other than English at home, the percentage of people speaking English proficiently has remained steady.”

The map, called the “2011 Language Mapper,” shows where people speaking specific languages other than English live, with dots representing how many people speak each of 15 different languages. For each language, it shows the concentration of those who say they speak English less than “very well,” a measure of English proficiency. The tool uses data collected through the American Community Survey from 2007 to 2011.

The languages available in the interactive map include Spanish, French, French Creole, Italian, Portuguese, German, Russian, Polish, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Arabic. After selecting one of these languages from the menu, users will see a national population density map, with each dot representing about 100 people who speak the language at home placed where these speakers are concentrated.

The map also allows users to zoom in to a smaller geographic area, where each dot represents 10 people. The dots were placed in a random location within census tracts to protect the confidentiality of speakers.

INCREASE IN NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS

The report details the number of people speaking languages other than English at home and their ability to speak English, by selected social and demographic characteristics. It shows that more than half (58 percent) of U.S. residents 5 and older who speak a language other than English at home also speak English “very well.”

The data, taken from the American Community Survey, are provided for the whole country, states and metropolitan and micropolitan areas.

The report shows that the percent speaking English “less than very well” grew from 8.1 percent in 2000 to 8.7 percent in 2007, but stayed at 8.7 percent in 2011. The percent speaking a language other than English at home went from 17.9 percent in 2000 to 19.7 percent in 2007, while continuing upward to 20.8 percent in 2011.

Of the 60.6 million people who spoke a language other than English at home in 2011, almost two-thirds (37.6 million) spoke Spanish.

Reflecting the overall trend, the percentage speaking Spanish at home grew from 12.0 percent in 2005 to 12.9 percent in 2011. In contrast to the overall trend, however, the percent who spoke Spanish at home but spoke English “less than very well” declined from 5.7 percent to 5.6 percent over the period.

The recent increase in non-English speakers continues a trend dating back three decades. Between 1980 and 2010, the number of people speaking a language other than English climbed 158 percent.

The highest percentage jump among 17 of the most common languages was the sevenfold increase in Vietnamese speakers, while Spanish speakers posted the largest numerical gain (25.9 million). In contrast, the number speaking Italian, German, Polish, Yiddish or Greek declined over the period.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT

• In addition to English and Spanish, there were six languages in 2011 spoken at home by at least 1 million people: Chinese (2.9 million), Tagalog (1.6 million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), German (1.1 million) and Korean (1.1 million).

• The prevalence of people speaking non-English languages at home varied widely across states, from 44 percent of the population in California to 2 percent in West Virginia.

• Laredo, Texas, led all metro areas, with 92 percent of residents age 5 and older speaking a language other than English at home.

• Metro and micro areas in the West, South and Northeast tended to have higher levels of people speaking non-English languages at home. Those in the Midwest tended to have lower levels, with the exception of Illinois.

• Of Spanish speakers, 45 percent of foreign-born naturalized citizens spoke English “very well,” compared with 23 percent of foreign-born noncitizens. Those who were native-born, had at least a bachelor’s degree or were not in poverty were more likely to speak English “very well.”

• Eighty percent or more of French and German speakers spoke English “very well.” In contrast, less than 50 percent of those who spoke Korean, Chinese or Vietnamese spoke English “very well.” The rate for Spanish speakers was 56 percent.

THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

The American Community Survey, which supplied the data, provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community across the United States. The results are used by everyone from town and city planners to retailers and homebuilders. It is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as education, occupation, language, ancestry and housing costs for even the smallest communities.

Since then–Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson directed the first U.S. census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about the country’s residents. Questions about jobs and the economy were added 20 years later under President James Madison, who said such information would allow the U.S. Congress to “adapt the public measures to the particular circumstances of the community,” and over the decades allow America “an opportunity of marking the progress of the society.”

The “2011 Language Mapper” and Language Use in the United States: 2011 (PDF, 1.39MB) are available on the U.S. Census Bureau website.