Languages in the United States

According to a 2002 survey by the Modern Language Association, more college students in the U.S. are studying languages than ever before. Over 1.4 million college students were enrolled in language courses in Fall 2002. Overall, enrollments in post-secondary language education jumped 17.9 percent between 1998 and 2002. The upsurge is easily attributable to increased interest in languages, as general undergraduate enrollments increased only 7.5 percent during the same period

Spanish continues -- as it has since 1970 -- to be the most widely taught language at American colleges and universities across the country. Enrollments in French continue to be steady, while the percentages of students taking German, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese have grown. Though their total numbers remain relatively small, interest in American Sign Language, Arabic, and Biblical Hebrew grew most rapidly on a percentage basis during the period under study.

In addition to the traditionally taught languages, American college and university students are learning 148 less commonly taught languages indigenous to regions throughout the world. These include such languages as Swahili, Persian, Hawai'ian, Polish, and Vietnamese.

Regional differences in language interests are also apparent. Interest in Italian and Hebrew is strongest in the northeastern United States. Asian languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, are most popular on the Pacific Coast. The distribution of Spanish and Arabic is fairly even.

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