there how many languages do american speak
1 About one in five Americans -- 19% -- believe that it is essential to speak a second language in general and an additional 50% of the population believe that knowledge of a foreign language is a valuable skill but is not necessarily essential.he majority of Americans who can speak a second language speak Spanish (55%). Much smaller proportions speak French (17%) and German (10%). Even smaller proportions report speaking Italian and Chinese and other languages.