Table 5.  Detailed Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for Persons 5 Years and Over --50 Languages with Greatest Number of Speakers:
              United States  1990
                   Ranked by Total Number of Speakers                                                             Ranked by Number Who Speak English Less Than "Very Well"
  __________________________________________________________________________________________        ___________________________________     __________________________________  
                                                                                                           1990                                                          1990
                                                       ------ ENGLISH ABILITY -------------                RANK                                                          RANK
      1990                                               VERY                 NOT    NOT AT           LESS THAN                              LESS THAN                  TOTAL
      RANK       LANGUAGE                    TOTAL       WELL      WELL      WELL       ALL         "VERY WELL"      LANGUAGE                VERY WELL        TOTAL  SPEAKERS
  __________________________________________________________________________________________        ___________________________________     __________________________________

                UNITED STATES          230,445,777                                                                   UNITED STATES                      230,445,777
              ENGLISH ONLY             198,600,798                                                                 ENGLISH ONLY                         198,600,798
              TOTAL NONENGLISH          31,844,979 17,862,477 7,310,301 4,826,958 1,845,243                        TOTAL NONENGLISH          13,982,502  31,844,979
         1   SPANISH                    17,339,172  9,033,407 3,804,792 3,040,828 1,460,145                   1   SPANISH                     8,305,765  17,339,172         1
         2   FRENCH                      1,702,176  1,226,043   318,409   149,505     8,219                   2   CHINESE                       752,936   1,249,213         5  
         3   GERMAN                      1,547,099  1,161,127   284,809    96,804     4,359                   3   FRENCH                        476,133   1,702,176         2
         4   ITALIAN                     1,308,648    874,032   283,354   134,114    17,148                   4   ITALIAN                       434,616   1,308,648         4
         5   CHINESE                     1,249,213    496,277   379,720   264,240   108,976                   5   GERMAN                        385,972   1,547,099         3
         6   TAGALOG                       843,251    556,252   223,971    58,320     4,708                   6   KOREAN                        383,539     626,478         8
         7   POLISH                        723,483    455,551   169,548    85,298    13,086                   7   VIETNAMESE                    320,862     507,069         9
         8   KOREAN                        626,478    242,939   195,120   154,617    33,802                   8   TAGALOG                       286,999     843,251         6
         9   VIETNAMESE                    507,069    186,207   177,689   118,180    24,993                   9   POLISH                        267,932     723,483         7
        10   PORTUGUESE                    429,860    235,283    96,243    71,305    27,029                  10   JAPANESE                      224,460     427,657        11
        11   JAPANESE                      427,657    203,197   133,364    83,276     7,820                  11   PORTUGUESE                    194,577     429,860        10
        12   GREEK                         388,260    266,072    78,153    38,799     5,236                  12   RUSSIAN                       131,430     241,798        15
        13   ARABIC                        355,150    235,509    82,149    31,596     5,896                  13   THAI  (LAOTIAN)               128,020     206,266        17
        14   HINDI  (URDU)                 331,484    234,705    67,276    24,365     5,138                  14   GREEK                         122,188     388,260        12
        15   RUSSIAN                       241,798    110,368    66,126    50,365    14,939                  15   ARABIC                        119,641     355,150        13
        16   YIDDISH                       213,064    151,377    44,213    15,431     2,043                  16   FRENCH CREOLE                  98,602     187,658        19
        17   THAI  (LAOTIAN)               206,266     78,246    70,177    47,374    10,469                  17   HINDI  (URDU)                  96,779     331,484        14
        18   PERSIAN                       201,865    125,135    51,517    19,749     5,464                  18   MON-KHMER (CAMBODIAN)          93,445     127,441        25
        19   FRENCH CREOLE                 187,658     89,056    56,730    35,710     6,162                  19   PERSIAN                        76,730     201,865        18
        20   ARMENIAN                      149,694     74,586    36,408    25,401    13,299                  20   ARMENIAN                       75,108     149,694        20
        21   NAVAHO                        148,530     82,261    44,481    14,172     7,616                  21   NAVAHO                         66,269     148,530        21
        22   HUNGARIAN                     147,902     96,200    37,875    12,691     1,136                  22   MIAO  (HMONG)                  63,549      81,877        30
        23   HEBREW                        144,292    110,440    26,685     6,471       696                  23   YIDDISH                        61,687     213,064        16
        24   DUTCH                         142,684    108,936    27,888     5,470       390                  24   HUNGARIAN                      51,702     147,902        22
        25   MON-KHMER (CAMBODIAN)         127,441     33,996    38,782    40,921    13,742                  25   PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH             36,123      83,525        29
        26   GUJARATHI                     102,418     67,704    22,657     8,998     3,059                  26   UKRAINIAN                      35,619      96,568        27
        27   UKRAINIAN                      96,568     60,949    22,515    11,870     1,234                  27   GUJARATHI                      34,714     102,418        26
        28   CZECH                          92,485     65,336    21,435     5,422       292                  28   HEBREW                         33,852     144,292        23
        29   PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH             83,525     47,402    31,310     4,112       701                  29   DUTCH                          33,748     142,684        24
        30   MIAO  (HMONG)                  81,877     18,328    25,645    26,505    11,399                  30   RUMANIAN                       31,713      65,265        36
        31   NORWEGIAN                      80,723     63,681    12,706     4,174       162                  31   SERBOCROATIAN                  27,661      70,964        34
        32   SLOVAK                         80,388     58,311    16,322     5,503       252                  32   CZECH                          27,149      92,485        28
        33   SWEDISH                        77,511     62,724    11,364     3,234       189                  33   FORMOSAN                       25,253      46,044        40
        34   SERBOCROATIAN                  70,964     43,303    18,149     8,365     1,147                  34   ILOCANO                        22,934      41,131        43
        35   KRU                            65,848     53,563    10,630     1,511       144                  35   SLOVAK                         22,077      80,388        32
        36   RUMANIAN                       65,265     33,552    20,332     8,922     2,459                  36   PANJABI                        18,168      50,005        39
        37   LITHUANIAN                     55,781     38,775    11,930     4,820       256                  37   NORWEGIAN                      17,042      80,723        31
        38   FINNISH                        54,350     40,996    10,230     3,001       123                  38   LITHUANIAN                     17,006      55,781        37
        39   PANJABI                        50,005     31,837    10,448     5,616     2,104                  39   TURKISH                        16,192      41,876        42
        40   FORMOSAN                       46,044     20,791    15,562     7,712     1,979                  40   CROATIAN                       15,217      45,206        41
        41   CROATIAN                       45,206     29,989    10,964     3,912       341                  41   SWEDISH                        14,787      77,511        33
        42   TURKISH                        41,876     25,684    10,515     4,653     1,024                  42   SYRIAC                         14,510      35,146        46
        43   ILOCANO                        41,131     18,197    14,770     7,354       810                  43   INDONESIAN                     13,435      24,996        54
        44   BENGALI                        38,101     25,417     9,808     2,578       298                  44   FINNISH                        13,354      54,350        38
        45   DANISH                         35,639     29,665     4,771     1,135        68                  45   AMHARIC                        12,862      31,505        50
        46   SYRIAC                         35,146     20,636     9,106     3,956     1,448                  46   MALAYALAM                      12,818      33,949        48
        47   SAMOAN                         34,914     23,660     7,712     3,129       413                  47   BENGALI                        12,684      38,101        44
        48   MALAYALAM                      33,949     21,131    10,093     2,006       719                  48   KRU                            12,285      65,848        35
        49   CAJUN                          33,670     23,834     7,577     2,073       186                  49   MANDARIN                       11,751      23,114        56
        50   AMHARIC                        31,505     18,643     9,359     3,078       425                  50   SAMOAN                         11,254      34,914        47

  NOTE:  1990 Census language questions:  "Does this person speak a language other than English at home?" "What is this language?"
             "How well does this person speak English --very well, well, not well, not at all?"
  Source:  U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1990 Census of Population, CPHL-133

  Contact:  Education and Social Stratification Branch, Population Division      301-457-2464