
The most popular U.S. languages besides English and Spanish
Chinese, Tagalog and Vietnamese are the three most commonly spoken languages in the U.S. other than English and Spanish, per new census data.
Why it matters: The myriad languages spoken nationwide reflect both the settlement and colonization of centuries long past, as well as more modern immigration patterns.
While Spanish is far and away the predominant non-English language nationwide, with about 41.2 million speakers, putting it aside offers insight into other groups and population centers around the country.
By the numbers: About 3.5 million people in the U.S. speak a form of Chinese, 1.7 million a form of Tagalog, and 1.5 million Vietnamese and related languages, per Census Bureau survey data.
That's for languages spoken at home during the 2017-2021 period among people five years and older.
Between the lines: Many multilingual people speak one language at home with family, but use English at work, school and elsewhere.
Just over 60% of people who speak a language other than English at home also say they speak English "very well," per the census data.
Zoom in: German is the most popular language other than English or Spanish in eight states, Vietnamese in seven, and French in seven.

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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Archaeologists may have finally solved the mystery of Roanoke's ‘Lost Colony'
A team of researchers believes they may have cracked one of America's most enduring legends: Where did the settlers of the Roanoke Colony go? The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was the first permanent English settlement in the United States. A group of over 100 colonists settled on North Carolina's Roanoke Island in 1587, led by Sir Walter Raleigh. John White, the governor of the colony, returned to England for supplies in 1587. When he came back to Roanoke Island in August 1590, he found the settlement mysteriously abandoned – and all the colonists, including his daughter Eleanor Dare and his granddaughter Virginia Dare, gone. One of the only clues remaining at the site was the word 'CROATOAN' carved into a palisade. It either referred to Croatoan Island, which is now called Hatteras Island, or the Croatoan Indians. The mystery has haunted Americans and Brits for the past four centuries, with several investigations launched into the matter. Whether the colonists were killed by Native Americans, starved to death, or left for greener pastures has eluded historians. But new research suggests the colonists' fate may not have been tragic after all. Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at the Royal Agricultural University in England, spoke with Fox News Digital about his findings. 5 A team of researchers believes they may have cracked one of America's most enduring legends: Where did the settlers of the Roanoke Colony go? Getty Images For the past decade, the British researcher has worked with the Croatoan Archaeological Society's Scott Dawson to uncover the mystery. Horton said they've uncovered proof that the colonists assimilated into Croatoan society, thanks to a trash heap. 'We're looking at the middens — that's the rubbish heaps — of the Native Americans living on Hatteras Island, because we deduced that they would have very rapidly been assimilated into the Native American population,' Horton said. The smoking gun at the site? 5 The mystery has haunted Americans and Brits for the past four centuries, with several investigations launched into the matter. Youtube/IslandTimeTV Hammerscale, which are tiny, flaky bits of iron that come from forging iron. Horton said it's definitive proof of iron-working on Hatteras Island, which could have only been done by English colonists. 'The key significance of hammerscale … is that it's evidence of iron-working, of forging, at that moment,' he said. 'Hammerscale is what comes off a blacksmith's forge.' Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Horton added, 'This is metal that has to be raised to a relatively high temperature … which, of course, [requires] technology that Native Americans at this period did not have.' Hammerscale shows that the English 'must have been working' in this Native American community, according to the expert. But what if the hammerscale came longer after the Roanoke Colony was abandoned? Horton said that's unlikely. 'We found it stratified … underneath layers that we know date to the late 16th or early 17th century,' he said. 'So we know that this dates to the period when the lost colonists would have come to Hatteras Island.' 5 The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was the first permanent English settlement in the United States. Getty Images 5 'We're looking at the middens — that's the rubbish heaps — of the Native Americans living on Hatteras Island, because we deduced that they would have very rapidly been assimilated into the Native American population,' Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at the Royal Agricultural University in England, said. Youtube/IslandTimeTV 'It's a combination of both its archaeological position but also the fact that it's evidence of people actually using an English technology.' At the site, archaeologists also found guns, nautical fittings, small cannonballs, an engraved slate and a stylus, in addition to wine glasses and beads, which all paint a vivid picture of life on Hatteras Island in the 17th century. When asked if the colonists could have been killed in a later war, Horton said they survived among the Croatoans and successfully assimilated. 'We have one little snippet of historical evidence from the 1700s, which describes people with blue or gray eyes who could remember people who used to be able to read from books,' he said. 'Also, they said there was this ghost ship that was sent out by a man called Raleigh.' 5 When asked if the colonists could have been killed in a later war, Horton said they survived among the Croatoans and successfully assimilated. Youtube/IslandTimeTV Horton added, 'We think that they assimilated into the Native American community and their descendants, their sons, their granddaughters, their grandsons carried on living on Hatteras Island until the early 18th century.' When asked if he's officially solved the mystery, Horton said that though the archaeological evidence is definitive, the legend will probably still endure. 'Have we solved the mystery? Well, you know, it's pretty good evidence, but there's always more work to be done,' he said. Horton added, 'And people love mysteries. They hate resolving things one way or the other. So I'm sure that the mystery will continue, you know, whatever the scientific evidence says.'
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
New Geneo Mall food court's loaded mala bowls, pan-fried buns, $10 steak & more
A 5-minute walk through lush greenery from the main area of Geneo Mall brings you to a brightly-lit and minimalistic 10-stall food court — Hawkerlab — featuring a range of cuisines from Shanghainese to Western, to Vietnamese. This quiet food court at 7 Science Park Drive opened in 2024. However, there hasn't been much hoo-ha about it since, likely because most of their patrons are nearby office workers or tenants. By the time I visited at half past 1 on a Thursday, only a handful of people were still sitting around. The food court has a clean, uniform look with all-white chairs and marbled tables. Lots of natural light is let in through the large window panes along the side, adding to its cosy, serene dining experience away from the hustle and bustle of work. 'If it's out of the way, why should I eat here?' Trust me, Hawkerlab is unlike any regular food court, and after seeing the food selection, you'll know why. All Things Mala is one of the newest tenants in this food court, having shifted here in May 2025. Unlike the usual mala affair of picking out your ingredients from the displayed chiller, every bowl here has a fixed combination, most of which come in individual portions below S$10. We tried the Signature Mala Chicken Bowl (S$8.90) and Fiery Beef King Bowl (S$9.90), and both consisted of springy instant noodles (the best part of mala, always), packed with their respective proteins and a load of veggies. Crowning the bowl were strips of what the owner, Kuan Loong, described as 'yusheng crispies'. Kuan Loong shared that they 'cut down oil by a lot' when frying the mala xiang guo, so you can worry less about the calories. However, I would still highly recommend their Crispy Mochi Youtiao with Condensed Milk (S$3.50) for a sweet treat after. Sheng jian bao in Hawkerlab? Sign me up. OLD CHANG SHENG JIAN BAO 老张生煎 serves a range of authentic pan-fried buns and Chinese noodles, but customers say their Signature Pork Pan-fried bun (S$5.50 for 4pcs) is a must-get. This would easily be my go-to lunch fix if I worked in the area. Steak is one of those foods most people tend to reserve for special affairs, enjoying it as an occasional indulgence. But here at Western Food Shack by The Tea Party, you can get a Sirloin Beef Steak with a side of either Mash Potato + Coleslaw + Sweet Corn (S$10.90), or Aglio Olio Pasta (S$9.90). For this price, I'd be eating steak every day. Next time I'm here, I'd like to try the cai fan stall hilariously named '这个那个 (zhe ge na ge)' or This N That in English, poking fun at the way Singaporeans order their cai fan. (I'm guilty of this too) There's still a variety of warm beef pho, fusion salad bowls, and old-school ice cream left for you to come down and discover for yourself here at Hawkerlab. Revamped Ang Mo Kio kopitiam has fried meatball noodles, claypot unagi rice & traditional prawn mee The post New Geneo Mall food court's loaded mala bowls, pan-fried buns, $10 steak & more appeared first on
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Guilford Woods protected by Piedmont Land Conservancy
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The last-standing underdeveloped woods in Greensboro will be saved. Guilford Woods is packed with rich history from the Revolutionary War to the Underground Railroad and is an oasis of ecology. Guilford Woods is where the revolutionary soldiers once walked,and the freedom seekers hid. It's a home to many ecologies. Through the Piedmont Land Conservancy and Guilford College's partnership, the area will be officially protected. To Jim Hood, a retired English professor from Guilford College and a former interim president of Guilford College, Guilford Woods is a special place. 'I spent a lot of time walking around here and learning the names of the plants and animals that lived here,' Hood said. He said in a rapidly developing suburban area, Guilford Woods is the last remaining forest that is untouched, and that is important. 'These trees clean the air. This forest cleans the water for Greensboro,' Hood said. The memories, meaning, and legacy are rooted in nature. Hood highlighted the witness tree, which is approximately 350 years old. It's a silent witness to the operation of the Underground Railroad. 'Freedom seekers hiding out in these woods on their ways to Indiana or other parts of the north to get away from the evils of slavery,' he said. Guilford College and the Piedmont Land Conservancy have teamed up to preserve 120 acres of the most valuable areas of the woods. Now, Guilford Woods can continue to be used as an outdoor classroom and financially benefit the college. 'It's a way for the college to withdraw some money from an asset that was increasing in value not in a tangible kind of way, but this makes it more tangible,' he said. For Kevin Redding, the executive director of the Piedmont Land Conservancy, retracing the steps of the revolutionary soldiers made preserving the land a cause worth fighting for. 'Hundreds of years old forest. It has the history component to it. It has the educational component to it. It has a public available recreation part of it. It has everything we would wish in a conservation property,' Redding said. The Piedmont Land Conservancy plans on raising $8.5 million through private donations. In total, they will be preserving about 245 acres of land in the area, including Price Park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.