know, however, that 62.3 percent of the Spanish-speaking population speak
Spanish at home.
Second, there are preconceived notions about non-native speakers of
English which have repercussions even to the way we count individuals in
their communities and refer to them. The U.S. Census Bureau
distinguishes between Spanish, Asian, and Other Languages, a category
that includes all of the continent of Africa (Table 13.1). It is from this
departure point that we look at the way foreign language groups and the
language stereotypes associated with those groups are used to classify –
and often to dismiss – individual rights and freedoms.
Table 13.1 Population 5 years and older who spoke a language other than English at home, by
language group and English-speaking ability, 2007
(For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and
definitions, see http://www.census.gov/acs/www/)) (X) Not applicable.
Note: Margins of error for all estimates can be found in Appendix Table 1 at
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/language/appendix.html. For more information on
the ACS, see http://www.census.gov/acs/www/.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey
The degree of accent is not necessarily relevant to these behaviors;
where no accent exists, stereotype and discrimination can sometimes
manufacture one in the mind of the listener.
A high degree of education does not bring with it any protection from
discrimination based on foreign accent, as was seen in Chapter 9 in the
case of Fragante v. City and County of Honolulu, and Hou v. Pennsylvania