Chinese language in the United States

Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese, is the third most-spoken language in the United States. It is mainly spoken by Chinese-American communities and by immigrants or their descendants, especially in places like California and New York. Around the year 2004, more than 2 million people in the U.S. spoke some form of Chinese. Mandarin has become more common, especially because of people moving from mainland China and Taiwan.

Data from the 2000 US census showed that many people spoke Cantonese, with most living in California and New York. In schools in California during the early 1980s, thousands of students used Cantonese at home. There were also many speakers of Taiwanese Hokkien, especially in Los Angeles and Orange County in California, as well as some areas in Texas.

In New York City, not many people spoke Standard Mandarin Chinese as their first language around 2002, but it was often used as a common way to talk to people who spoke different Chinese dialects, slowly replacing Cantonese as the main way to communicate between different groups.

Statistics

Chinese is the third most-spoken language in the United States. It is mainly spoken by Chinese-American communities and by immigrants or their descendants, especially in California and New York.

Around 2004, more than 2 million people in the U.S. spoke some form of Chinese. Mandarin has become more common, mainly because of immigration from mainland China and also from Taiwan. About one third of these speakers said they spoke either Cantonese or Mandarin specifically, while the other two thirds simply said they spoke "Chinese."

Language acquisition

Chinese Americans often teach their children the Chinese language to keep their cultural identity strong, feel proud of their heritage, and stay connected with family members who speak Chinese. Many Chinese schools have been created to help with this, usually holding classes on weekends.

Over time, many Chinese Americans, especially later generations, often speak mostly English. This is because English is the main language used in the United States. Learning Chinese can be tricky because it uses tones and characters that are very different from English. Some families focus only on Chinese at home to keep the language alive, while others prefer their children to learn English for better opportunities. Learning both languages has many benefits, like feeling connected to two cultures and getting along better in different settings.

Chinese as a foreign language

A 2006 survey found that Chinese was the seventh most popular foreign language studied in the United States, making up 3% of all foreign language classes. Most of these classes teach simplified characters and Standard Mandarin Chinese.

Main article: most commonly learned foreign languages in the United States
Main articles: simplified characters, Standard Mandarin Chinese