Languages are so interesting, aren’t they? There are thousands of ways to say different things depending on where you’re from or where you grew up. For example, if you were born in Germany, you probably speak German fluently. And if you were born in France, you likely know French all too well.
While the most common language spoken in the United States is English followed by Spanish, there are actually quite a bit of others, too. Why do we know that? It’s all thanks to a cool map that someone posted on Reddit.
So if you’re looking to learn a new language, but aren’t sure which one would be most beneficial, look no further. This map of the United States shares the most commonly spoken language (other than English or Spanish) for each of the 50 states. Not only is this simply just fun info to keep in your back pocket, but it can help you when you travel across the country.
Okay, so let’s get down to business. We know that the two most common languages in America are English and Spanish, but it turns out that there’s actually quite a large amount of people who also speak German. And French. And Italian and Portuguese and many others, too. But where are they spoken most frequently?
The Northeast seems to hold the most French and Portuguese speaking states, with Chinese being the top spoken for New York and Italian for Pennsylvania.
As you go more South, Virginia and Georgia’s top spoken language is Korean, with Florida being French Creole. Heading to Illinois? Brush up on your Polish, which is that state’s most common language!
On the West Coast, you’ve got Tagalog as the most common language in states like California, Nevada and Hawaii (that’s an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines). Surprisingly, Russian is the most popular language spoken in Oregon. Head a little more North and Vietnamese will do you best in Wisconsin. Go South and the Navajo language is common, especially in Arizona and New Mexico. So interesting, right?
Be sure to check the map below for the most commonly spoken language for each state!
Most commonly spoken language in the US after English and Spanish from r/MapPorn
Do you know any of these languages? Were any of them a surprise to you? What’s your state’s listed language?