When my siblings and I were young, my dad told us that to survive in America, we needed to speak at least three languages. (He was an overachiever who, aside from Vietnamese, could communicate in 5 other languages, having interacted with Chinese, Japanese, French, American and Mexican people in his lifetime.)

We spoke Vietnamese at home, learned English in school, and got to pick another language of our choice. I chose Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. I love languages so these maps speak to me in countless ways. You’ll hear lots of English and Spanish but if you’re in the South, you’ll likely hear Vietnamese. Cali residents are rich with languages. So are NYC residents. The Midwest offers gems too. These graphics are based on Census data, and presented in greater detail here: wordfinderx.com/blog/mo…