In case the map is hard to read, there's a larger version - plus some background information - on the Polymic site, here.
Given the amount of German in evidence, no wonder it was so hard for President Roosevelt to persuade America to intervene on Britain's side in WWII. Tagalog basically means Filipino. French (Cajun, I suppose) in Louisiana and Mississippi, okay - but in North and South Carolina? And Korean in Georgia? There's something pleasing about Dakota being spoken in South Dakota. I was rather hoping to see a Scandinavian language - preferably Norwegian - in Minnesota, but it's Hmong! As for Russian in Oregon - well, dangbladdit!, what's that all about?
Anyway, all very intriguing. If we'd had maps as interesting as this in school Geography lessons, I might actually have paid some attention.
I have never heard a word of German spoken in Alabama Or Tennesse (though I wouldn't put it past our volunteer friends to be harboring a few tuetons up there) and the number French speaking people in Missisippi is minuscule (though the abrupt change from redneck...ie British...surnames to French ones 10 miles from the coast and rivers is pretty startling.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really fascinating is that if you get deep enough in the louisiana boonies you will find people that only speak a kind of French.
What qthe map tells you really ( at least in The South...I can't really say much about itnup north) is that it takes very few speakers to come in third.
You're never going to forgive those East Tennesseeans, are you!
DeleteI too find the German thing hard to believe. There can't have been any major immigration by German speakers into the various states where it's supposed to be the third language for many decades and I somehow doubt that having a German name and a German great-great-grandfather means your whole family start talking about "verdammt Engländers" the minute they get behind closed doors. It would be interesting to know what questions were asked for the survey.
We always think of Ameriocans as moving around all the time - sounds like that's not necessarily true in your neck of the woods.
Come to think of it... They make bmws in Alabama and Kias in Georgia...probably more than enough to tip the scales.
ReplyDeleteOnly if you count senior management who aren't US citizens, i suspect. Maybe they did just that.
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