Language Map of the U.S.

The United States is the country with the greatest diversity of languages in the world, except for Papua New Guinea. This week the Modern Language Association (MLA) launched a greatly enhanced new version of its interactive Language Map. Using data from the 2000 United States Census, the MLA Language Map provides information about the locations, age and English-language speaking ability of Americans who speak a language other than English at home. In just seconds you can find, compare and tabulate data about any of 300 languages, from Arabic to Yiddish. You can map the concentration of their speakers--by state, county, zip code and town. Although it doesn’t include my language (Feline), this is a great tool for students, scholars, people in business and public service, and anyone curious about American culture.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat