文章作者 网络论坛发表时间 2007:05:17 10:00:13
来源 百外雅思网

WASHINGTON 鈥?A shift has emerged out of the most recent survey taken in the United States with one out of five people saying they speak Spanish, Chinese or some language other than English at home.

The statistics were drawn from a national survey of 700,000 households conducted with the 2000 Census. The percentage of people speaking a non-English language rose from 13.8 per cent in 1990 to 17.6 per cent in 2000.

Those American states bordering Mexico ranked highest for non-English speaking households, with California at the top with 39.5 per cent, followed by New Mexico with 35.5 per cent and Texas with 32 per cent.

Those who say they cannot speak English at all, or hardly at all made up 4.1 per cent of the US population.

The US Department of Commerce, which conducted the survey, pointed to the increase in recent immigration from Central and South America as one of the main reasons behind the increase in non-English speaking households. Spanish-speakers in the US are estimated to number 27 million. The Washington PostLinguists 0select years best