alvear.com

According to Census figures, about 43 percent of Californians speak a language other than English at home. That’s more than any other state. I think that means that California is a very racially interwoven state, more so than New York, which I previously thought was more of a melting pot when I lived there.

Nevertheless, many of these people who speak languages other than English at home feel that they are not very proficient at English. By contrast, fewer than 20 percent of U.S. residents overall speak another language at home, and fewer than 9 percent classify themselves as limited English speakers, the Census Bureau said.

This news may spark outrage for some that believe that all Americans should speak English and want to make it the official language of the country. For example, from the SF Gate story:

“It’s very disturbing when 1 in 5 people is not communicating in the common language,” said Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. “Culturally, it creates a sort of tribalism. This country doesn’t have a predominant race or religion; it just has values. That’s a very thin bond. We have shared values and a shared Constitution; we also have to have a shared culture and language.”

When immigrants congregate in enclaves, they have a harder time learning English and becoming fully American, said Hanson, author of the book “Mexifornia: A State of Becoming.”

“It’s time to go back to the melting pot, control the borders and let assimilation, integration and intermarriage work,” he said.

Aside from fear mongering, there are people who see this news as a blessing since the results clearly show that people may also speak English at home. And assimilation into U.S. culture is happening as settled immigrants are speaking more English while still speaking their native language at home.

Overall, it appears that while many people in California speak other languages, they are also speaking English more and more.