TABLE 86.-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 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.] The largest proportion of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over who speak English is in the group who have been in the United States ten years or over; the smallest proportion speaking English is in the group who have been here under five years. Similarly among each specified race increased length of residence in this country is accompanied by an increase in the proportion who speak English. The progress of younger and older immigrants in acquiring an ability to speak English, 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, the percentage of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex and age at time of coming to the United States: TABLE 87.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex, age at time of coming to the United States, and race. (STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.) [This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 200 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.] This table shows that of the total number reporting 95.4 per cent of those who came to the United States before they were 14 years of age are able to speak English, while 62.8 per cent of those who were of that age or over do so. It will be observed that in every race over 90 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States have acquired a working knowledge of the English language, but of those who were over 14 years of age at the time of immigrating, the proportion proficient in the language is much less, excepting in the case of the Germans. A greater proportion of the Germans who were over 14 years of age at time of coming are able to speak the language than is true of the Slovaks or Poles who were under 14 years of age at the time of coming. The progress made by employees of non-English speaking races in acquiring the ability to speak English, after designated periods of residence in the country, is set forth in the following table, which shows, by sex, years in the United States, and race, the percentage of foreign-born employees who speak English: TABLE 88.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex, 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 200 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all nonEnglish-speaking races.] German. Slovak. Total.. Polish. MALE. From the foregoing table it is seen that of 3,051 persons reporting, 33.6 per cent of those who have been in the United States less than five years speak English; 66.6 per cent of those who have been here from five to nine years do so, while of those who have been here ten years or over, 88.8 per cent are proficient in the language, |