The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Highlights of Connecticut’s linguistic diversity
STATE
While the majority of Connecticut residents are English speakers, Access Health CT still faces linguistic challenges in trying to educate and market the state’s new health insurance exchange. Nearly 250,000 say they speak English less than “very well.”
Here are the most commonly spoken languages besides English for people over age 5 in the state:
Total Connecticut population age 5 and older: 3,281,254
Number of speakers who spoke English less than very well: 249,370
Total who spoke a language other than English at home: 646,605
Number of those who spoke other language at home and spoke English less than very well: 249,370
Total Spanish and Spanish Creole speakers: 309,460
HARTFORD (AP) >>
Number of Spanish speakers who spoke English less than very well: 128,606
Total Italian speakers: 38,437
Number of Italian speakers who spoke English less than very well: 12,311
Total Portuguese speakers: 38,107
Number of Portuguese speakers who spoke English less than very well: 17,990
Total French speakers: 36,857
Number of French speakers who spoke English less than very well: 7,682
Total Polish speakers: 36,553
Number of Polish speakers who spoke English less than very well: 16,127
Total Chinese speakers: 22,829
Number of Chinese speakers who spoke English less than very well: 10,336