Pennsylvania's most popular languages
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Chinese, Pennsylvania German, and Russian are the three most commonly spoken languages in the Keystone State other than English and Spanish, per new census data.
Why it matters: The rich mix of languages spoken across the country and in Pennsylvania reflects centuries of colonization and settlement — alongside waves of modern immigration.
By the numbers: Nearly 65,000 people speak Chinese in Pennsylvania, followed by 61,000 Pennsylvania German speakers and more than 45,000 Russian speakers, per the census data.
- That's a fraction of the roughly 637,000 Spanish speakers in the state.
The intrigue: Pennsylvania German — also known as Pennsylvania Dutch — is a dialect that developed in the rural parts of Southeastern and Central Pennsylvania during the 18th century, and is still popular among Amish and Mennonite communities.
- Researchers say about a fifth of the vocabulary words in the language are derived from English.
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.