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Foreign language speakers on the rise locally, nationally
By: TERI FIGUEROA - Staff Writer | ∞
The number of local residents who speak a foreign language at home or say they don't have a command of English is on the rise, according to U.S. Census Bureau data illustrating the wide-ranging effects of immigration.
Nationwide, nearly one in five people living in the United States speaks a language at home other than English, according to a report from the American Community Survey taken last year by the U.S. Census.
In Southern California, the number is higher, and the majority of non-English speakers reported speaking Spanish.
In Escondido, the number of people who didn't primarily speak English at home in 2006 stood at about 45 percent of the city's population of about 127,000. That is up about 6 percentage points from the turn of this century.
In Oceanside, the number of those who speak a foreign language at home hovers around 35 percent of the city's current population of about 149,000. That is up about 3 percentage points from 2000 -- although that percentage appears to fall within the statistical margin of error, the data state.
In the rapidly growing Riverside County bedroom community of Murrieta, the number of people who speak a different language at home has jumped in the last five years from about 15 percent of the city's residents to more than 27 percent.
The use of languages other than English has been a touchy issue for many groups in San Diego and Riverside counties, where conservative politicians have campaigned for stricter immigration laws and reduced dependence on other languages, especially Spanish. But others have accepted or embraced the use of many languages in the border region, where ballots are printed in at least four languages and people are almost as likely to hear Spanish, Vietnamese or Tagalog spoken on the streets as they are to hear English.
The number of immigrants nationwide reached an all-time high of 37.5 million in 2006, affecting incomes and education levels in many cities across the country.
California led the nation in immigrants, at 27 percent of the state's population, and in people who spoke a foreign language at home, at 43 percent. The U.S.-born children of immigrants often speak their parents' native languages at home.
The Census Bureau on Wednesday released a host of demographic data about the nation, including statistics on immigration, housing, education and employment.
The data came from an annual survey of 3 million households. It does not distinguish between illegal immigrants and those who are in the U.S. legally.
In San Diego County, 14,732 households responded to the survey. Riverside County had 9,824 responses.
When it came to language, respondents were asked to rate themselves on their comfort level with English, with options ranging from very well, well, not well and not at all.
The survey was given in English. When necessary, census workers called and visited the homes of people who did not respond, and were sometimes able to communicate in the respondent's native language, a census spokeswoman said.
Language barriers mean added pressure for local school districts, educators said.
In Murrieta, the rise in the number of people who speak a foreign language at home is reflected in classrooms, where the number of students learning English increased by more than 300 percent from 2002 to 2006.
"That's very significant," school district spokeswoman Karen Parris said. "If you have a large number struggling with English, it affects their other studies. And those students also need more support and intervention."
Classes are primarily taught in English, with some help and further instruction available in students' native languages. And Parris said the demands do tug on the district's purse strings.
In North County, the Oceanside Unified School District has taught all classes in English for about a decade.
"Our goal is to get them using English as soon as possible," said District Superintendent Larry Perondi. "The best way to become proficient is to use it and write it and hear it."
More adults are also learning English in Oceanside. Two years ago, about 500 adults took English classes offered by the school district. This year, that number is about 800.
"We don't lack for people who want to be in English language classes," Perondi said.
Children tend to learn English and act as translators for their parents who don't speak the language, said Bonnie Bade, the chairwoman of the anthropology department at Cal State San Marcos. And when the children of non-native English language speakers grow up, their children speak English, she said.
"I really don't see it as a problem. When we look at history, the kids learn English."
Bade also noted that San Diego county has a number immigrants with different languages and cultures.
"If we want to hang onto some kind of a myth that this is some kind of a homogeneous society, that is not reality, and it hasn't been for a very, very long time," Bade said.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.
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Roberto1 wrote on Sep 12, 2007 12:54 AM:Well come on all you Phobies...spit it out. I speak english, spanish and mandarin with a small amount of other tongues to one degree or another. Laying in a fetal position believing that the earth is flat won't work. Speaking english will give you a socio-economic competative advantage. Speaking spanish is a bonus. The xenophobic mindset says: its a conspiracy to force me to not understand what is really going on. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Being inclusive will only make us stronger as a nation and a people. Diversity is our strength, not our weakness unless of course you want it to be.
Mike wrote on Sep 12, 2007 2:27 AM:Precisely. This is the main difference between immigrants like my grandparents who came to America in the previous century to stake out a new life. Those immigrants WANTED to learn English; they forced their children to learn and speak it even at home. They saw the importance of speaking a common language - English - as being part of a common society. Unfortunately, most of today's legal immigrants and the illegal aliens (there is a difference, folks) don't believe they need or should have to learn English. Instead, we have to learn their languages. So yes, we do offer driving tests in 68 different languages. Go figure.
cts wrote on Sep 12, 2007 5:42 AM:Do you know why they don't need to speak English?...Because they don't have to. It isn't about assimilation...It's all about how easy it is to exploit the resources of this country.
Carson wrote on Sep 12, 2007 6:19 AM:Maybe that is because of the attacks on the children of the founders of this once great nation! Back in the 60’s the Federal Government came into the public schools and brainwashed us as little children with the message that the children we were about to have were unwanted because the population was rising so fast. They launched a program called, “Zero Population Growth”. They pushed Family Planning and birth control pills. Now they call the same programs, "Safe Sex" but the results are the same. I think you and I both know that you only have to trick people for their few child bearing years and there is no going back. Many of us never had a say in the future of our unborn. I am the result of two living cells. One from each of my parents. They are the result of two living cells, one from each of their parents. I wasn't just born. I am a continuation of life. I am a living thing that reaches back into time perhaps 400 million years and the result of billions of joining of pairs of cells. It is possible that if you were to follow my cells back to my parent’s cells and beyond that my family tree touches every living thing here on earth. That is if we limit ourselves to believing life was created here on earth. If it rained down from the immensity of the universe it could reach back into that immensity of time and space, and who knows what relationships and who knows what species. My family line succeeded, at least until I came up against the Federal Government and their plan to control the population. I have seen the Federal Government do little else to control the population. The open border, United States laws only apply to some, is a serious slap in the face. No, not a slap in the face, it reaches well beyond that. Maybe back to the beginning of time and stretch to the bounds of the universe.
More of the Same wrote on Sep 12, 2007 7:06 AM:If parents wan't their children to learn English, then it needs to be spoken in the home. They have a responsibility to lead by example rather than expect the schools to do it all for them.
Incorrect Stats wrote on Sep 12, 2007 7:15 AM:I seriously doubt as this article states that at the turn of the century 39 percent of the households in Escondido spoke another language at home. In the 70' and 80's our schools had maybe 10 percent at most, non English speakers in the classrooms. You seldom heard any language other than English being spoken in public.
Slavic Russian wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:09 AM:I demand all public affairs be spoken in Slavic Russian or I sue! Sorry NCT but you have to change your papers!
Roberto#2 wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:20 AM: Para Roberto#1...Studies have shown that students of a Spanish speaking family are at a huge disadvantage in schools. This situation lasts for years. Read the different surveys of local school boards to verify my input. When a child reaches put in this position reaches high school he or she is far behind they merely drop out. Believe me ENGLISH is the way to go. Gracious amigo...
Carter: wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:25 AM:Let us get this right - the situation is not due to immigration, the situation is overwhelming due to illegal aliens. Immigration is acceptable and their is a process an immigrant must go through to become a citizen of the USA. Learning to speak and read United States English is one of the requirements. The reason for that is so an immigrant can communicate his needs and read the laws and the newspapers in order to stay abreast of the requirements necessary to be a good citizen and not become a burden on the country. The idea is for an immigrant to be an asset to our country. Illegal aliens are dragging the country down and the time is here that we must do something about it.
John E wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:31 AM:Teddy Roosevelt said it all in 1919: "In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Ray wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:43 AM:Great, Lets speak more than one languaje be it Spanish German Japanese or Italian this will only enrich your brain, let us not be paranoid.
to Mike wrote on Sep 12, 2007 9:20 AM:Where do you (and others) get the idea that today's immigrants don't want to learn English? They know it makes life better, but it's not that easy. There are more immigrants now, so there are more who haven't yet learned English. It's that simple. My grandparents came here from Sweden 100 years ago as teenagers and never became proficient but learned enough English to get by. Today's immigrants are no different.
Legal Aliens wrote on Sep 12, 2007 9:31 AM:We speak German and Cantonese, are legal immigrants and learned to speak English fluently when each of our families brought us to the US. No excuses, no need for special accomodations like ESL, driver's license test in our native language nor to press a number on the directory assistance for our languages. We are PhD's, own business and rental property, and we ARE Americans. No one made us assimilate, we WANTED to. And, like many other immigrants we made the assumption that the official language of the United States WAS English, so we learned it. We don't need our own TV, radio station or newspaper printed in our languages, we get our news & entertainment like every other English speaking person in this country. It saddens legal immigrants that the illegal don't want to be inconvenienced to learn English, but will inconvenience citizens of their host country to accomodate them!
you asked for it wrote on Sep 12, 2007 9:48 AM:the end is in sight. you can read all about it in the history books, just after the stories of the old roman empire, their was a country call the USA. thats if those in control let you read . Is it too late? best start now or forever stay seated!
Official Language wrote on Sep 12, 2007 10:06 AM:This is exactly why the nation needs to officially recognize and legally declare that English is the official language of the United States. The US should go one step further and declare that all business conducted wholly within the borders of the US be done in English only. All documents - with the exception of those detailing how to legally immigrate to the US should be available in English only. Doing this would not only force people to learn English but also save untold dollars wasted on translating everything into every possible language.
Dean wrote on Sep 12, 2007 10:10 AM:I find it great if you know Spanish, Chinese, German, etc.. but, if you come to this country you sure should ALSO learn English. Is that to much to ask of people? Say I went to Mexico or China to live, do you think that they would let me just get by on my English skills? I would make myself learn their language. These people here don't want to assimilate. They don't want to learn our language, and to me that is a slap in the face to America! -
Concerned-1 wrote on Sep 12, 2007 10:31 AM:I'm all for multi-linguistic interaction. The more languages you can speak, the better. However, English is the language of the United States, and it should be the only language allowed on ballots, road signs, official forms and other documentation. I don't appreciate being asked to push a button for English and I don't like the fact that certain stores have to post signs in Spanish. I also believe that people learn faster by immersion. When I go to a foreign country, I make an effort to use the language.
Forget this wrote on Sep 12, 2007 11:43 AM:what about the mexican truckers who can't read english such as STOP!
Big Richard wrote on Sep 12, 2007 12:47 PM:Ok now lets all learn to play a musical instrument too. Then we will all be more enlightened. They are handicapped by not understanding our language then to make things worse we make it more and more convenient for them to never learn it. Then their children are further placed at a disadvantage by having limited exposure to the language as well. Boy that’s progress for ya. But hey! We are more enlightened people. Maybe not quite as articulate as we once were, but we know more than one way to ask for a towel to cry on.
Ken wrote on Sep 12, 2007 12:49 PM:I agree with those that say that the problem is caused by the illegal aliens, for those that come here legally, do have to learn English. I also support that our schools start teaching English only. NO MORE special help for those that come here illegally. It is costing us taxpayers way too much to help the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens. I agree with "Concerned", when I lived and worked in Germany, I had to learn German in order to understand their laws and for normal communications between me and the local people. It should not be any different here for those that come here legally, and for that matter, illegally as well.-
How many taxes? wrote on Sep 12, 2007 12:59 PM:Clearly is costs our public schools (the taxpayer that is) more to educate a child who enters school with little or no English skills than a child with English proficiency. Here is another cost of illegal immigration. The parents have no compelling need to learn English, particularly Spanish speakers, since governments and businesses do business with them in their native language. The taxpayer then pays a premium price to teach their children English. Wouldn't you love to know how many of your tax dollars are being spent to teach English to children of parents who are here illegally?
To Incorrect Stats: wrote on Sep 12, 2007 1:04 PM:The turn of the century was almost 7 years ago. Since you speak of the 70's. I'm assuming that you're a century turn behind. Catch up now...;0)
Slippery Slope wrote on Sep 12, 2007 1:46 PM:Once federal, state, and local governments - along with profit-hungry retailers - begin to accommodate those who do not speak English, where does it end? When will the ehtnocentric activists demand that all laws (including the United States Constitution) be published in foreign langauges? I can just imagine the courts trying to craft coherent holdings based on multilingual interpretations of the Constitution - it's hard enough in English! The United States is doomed without a single, unifying language. Foreign languages are great. I speak two of them. There is, however, a time and place for them (e.g., Oktoberfest, Cinco de Mayo, ethnic restaurants, etc.). Government business and operations must be conducted in a single unifying language. English is the logical choice because the various laws, regulations, and codes that govern our lives are drafted in English. Does this sound racist? Is France a racist nation because French is the official language of France. What about Mexico?
At School as well wrote on Sep 12, 2007 2:33 PM:Go to a school office in the Escondido Elementary District and you'll find that English is not the primary or the first language spoken by the staff. The staff typically speaks to each other in Spanish. Staff members who only speak English are sidelined. Only people who speak fluent Spanish with a modest English language skill are hired. Born in America, only speak English - tough luck!
Are we surprised? wrote on Sep 12, 2007 2:40 PM:What does this number have to get up to before our government does something? This is a result of ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION! Nothing else! Get it?
Darrell wrote on Sep 12, 2007 2:48 PM:Just another example of why Oceanside is considered a second class city. It will continue to decline as the Spanish speaking population grows. It has nothing to do with illegal or legal. Why do you always see real estate ads for Oceanside posted with "In Carlsbad school district".
Fatima Moras wrote on Sep 12, 2007 3:04 PM:I agree that English is the Official Language in U.S.A. and John made a good and true point -
Roberto1 wrote on Sep 12, 2007 4:09 PM:To Roberto2: There are many mitigating circumstances in regards to the success of a student including but not limited to being immersed in english at a young age. That being said, How about those students from India & many parts of the Asia eh? Very impressive, I would say. This has to do with having two parents, strong family ties, work ethic etc. To continue using the language crutch excuse is an insult to those future leaders of our country. Lets invest in the future where the rubber meets the road and quit making excuses for the use of a native tongue. Everyone knows english is the language of commerece and if someone chooses not to succeed....who's fault is it really? Besides, we will always need hard working labour.
Duh! wrote on Sep 12, 2007 4:46 PM:I could have told you that without a new study. Close the border!
Patrick wrote on Sep 12, 2007 5:35 PM:Borders? GWB has a different idea for all of us... North American Union coming soon! Look it up people!
Vote! wrote on Sep 12, 2007 7:18 PM:There are many here who are unhappy with the result of years of neglect in enforcing our immigration policies. PLEASE VOTE! Vote for those who will protect the country we all know and love.
Roberto1 wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:24 PM:Uniting with neighbours such as Mexico and Canada to complete globally with the likes of: European Union, Asia trade pacts etc. etc....yep, I agree lets stick our heads in the sand and it will all go away and feel better.
Nick wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:25 PM:Funny, lots bigot posters above who claim to speak another language, yet not one of them speak a language that is native to this continent. All FOREIGN languages! How about some of you hypocrites learn to speak Native American? We speak 4 languages in our house. My wife and I both speak French and Spanish fluently and I speak Cherokee fluently(My Native Tongue)and my wife has picked it up rather well. If you wish to speak spanish all the time, move to Mexico. One of my favorite games is to shop at the local Target or Wal-Mart and listen to the employees and customers talk in Spanish and act like I'm ignorant and don't speak fluent Spanish. Most Americans would be shocked at the type of trash talked about the gringos....I think Cherokee should be the official Second Language of this Country after English, but then again, I'm predjudiced on the matter. Speak Native American or Leave. Your all tresspassing on Indian Land!
same ol crap wrote on Sep 12, 2007 8:39 PM:that the good ol' n of ct puts out -- for pro-illegal immigration. Tired of it. Even their own posters disagree. The more you deviate from a common language the more misunderstandings there are and the more billions of dollars the taxpayers have to pay to accommodate people who refuse to learn anything (the native language of the country that they invaded). Go ahead....censor my post. again.
RichardM wrote on Sep 13, 2007 9:58 AM:Nick, of what possible use would it be to learn to speak Cherokee? There's nothing wrong with you speaking it but I might as well learn Klingon or Esperanto. English is useful and so is Spanish in this part of the country, but Cherokee? It's a dead language.-
Kristy wrote on Sep 13, 2007 10:49 AM:For to Mike: My grandparents all came from Sweden and learned to speek perfect English. They only spoke Swedish when they didn't want us kids to listen in to their conversation.
Kristy wrote on Sep 13, 2007 10:50 AM:oops! They learned to "speak" perfect English. My typos don't always spell it perfectly!
Skip wrote on Sep 16, 2007 5:30 PM:A very good story in today's (Sunday) print edition of the Californian, entitled "MIGRANTS WORRIED ABOUT NEW LAW", finally some coverage of news laws that may actually work. Now I am waiting to see it on the online version of the newspaper. I liked the byline "TOUGH CHOICES", "Sanctions Law Has Some Immigrants Thinking Of Leaving"
Legal Citizen wrote on Sep 17, 2007 9:08 AM:As long as big businesses cater to the Illegals nothing will be done about it. If we (Americans) were in another country, we would learn the language simply because the other countries expect you to. They don't cater to Americans so why should we cater to their unwanted people? It is past time for WE THE PEOPLE to take a stand and get rid of these unwanted parasites.
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