TABLE 65.-Per cent of persons 6 years of age or over who speak English, by sex and general nativity and race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) [This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more persons reporting. The totals, however, are for all non-English-speaking races.] Upon information secured for a total of 1,822 persons 6 years of age or over, it is seen that 86.9 per cent speak English. A comparision between the males and females shows that a larger proportion of the total number of the former than of the latter have ability to speak English. This is true also of the total foreign-born, while of the total of the native-born of foreign father the females show a slightly larger proportion than the males. Considering the foreignborn by race it is seen that a larger proportion of the males than of the females of each race speak English-the proportion of males ranging from 100 per cent, as shown by the Norwegian, Polish, Slovenian, and Swedish, to 89 per cent, as shown by the Finnish, and the proportion of females ranging from 97.4 per cent, as shown by the Poles, to 32.3 per cent, as shown by the Slovenians. Over 98 per cent of both the native-born males and females of foreign fathers speak English. The following table shows by race the percentage of foreign-born male employees of non-English-speaking races who speak English: TABLE 66.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees who speak English, by race. (STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.) [This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.] From 3,607 persons reporting complete data it was learned that 52.3 per cent can speak English. Over 95 per cent of the Norwegian, German, and French Canadian employees can speak English; the Swedish show over 80 per cent, the Slovenians, Poles, and South Italians over 60 per cent, and the North Italians over 50 per cent who can speak English. The Croatian, Finnish, Lithuanian, and Magyar employees show between 17.4 per cent and 43.9 per cent who are able to speak English. The following table shows, by age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual, the percentage of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over in the households studied who could speak English. TABLE 67.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over who speak English, by age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) [This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.] The larger proportion of the total number of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over who speak English is in the group who were under 14 years of age when they came to the United States. Similarly every specified race, except the Magyar, have a greater proportion speaking English among those who were under 14 at time of coming than among those who were 14 or over. The Magyars, on the contrary, have 85 per cent speaking English in the group were 14 or over and only 43.8 per cent in the under 14 group, per cent being the lowest shown in either group for any race. who this A most marked relation between the age at time of coming and the proportion who speak English is shown among the Slovenians. In the age group under 14 years 100 per cent speak English; in the group 14 years or over only 57.1 per cent. The latter is the smallest proportion speaking English reported by any race in this group. The table following shows, by years in the United States and race of individual, the percentage of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over in the households studied who could speak English. TABLE 68.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over who speak English, by years in the United States and race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) (By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all nonEnglish-speaking races.] Of the total number of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over, the largest proportion speaking English are in the group who have been in the United States ten years or over; the smallest proportion, in the group who have been in this country under five years. This is likewise characteristic of every specified race, except the Norwegian and French Canadian-the latter two have the largest proportion speaking English in the group who have been here five to nine years. The progress of immigrants in acquiring the ability to speak the English language according to age at time of arrival in this country, is considered in the two tables next submitted. The first of these tables which follows, shows by race and age at time of coming to the United States, the percentage of foreign-born male employees who speak English. TABLE 69.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees who speak English, by age at time of coming to the United States and race. (STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.) [This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 100 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.] The preceding table shows that of 3,607 male employees in the copper-mining industry, 97.5 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age and 49.1 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over before coming to the United States, speak English. Each race shows a larger proportion of those who were under 14 than of those who were 14 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States who speak English-the proportion who were 14 or over ranging from 95.3 per cent, as shown by the Germans, to 16.7 per cent, as shown by the Magyars, as compared with 100 per cent as shown by the French Canadians, Germans, North Italians, and Slovenians, and 93.8 per cent and 80 per cent as shown by the Finns and Croatians, respectively, of those who were under 14 years of age. The table next submitted shows, by years in the United States and race, the per centage of foreign-born male employees who speak English. TABLE 70.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees who speak English, by years in the United States and race. (STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.) [By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 100 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all nonEnglish-speaking races.] Of the 3,607 male employees included in the preceding table, 52.3 per cent speak English. That length of residence in the United States affects the ability to speak English is evidenced by the fact that while 25.8 per cent of those who have been in the United States under five years have this ability, the percentage increases to 60.8 per cent of those with a period of residence from five to nine years,` and 87.1 per cent of those with a residence of ten years or over. With the exception of the Germans who show 100 per cent who speak English in both of the longer residence periods, each race shows that the proportion who speak English increases with the period of resi dence in the United States. |