After a whole year of COVID-19 quarantine, you have no doubt mastered several different hobbies, or became an expert in the field of online programs. It won’t be too long before you’ll be free to unleash your new skills and interests upon the world. You might be asking yourself “Who should I share my interests with?” If your answer is “everyone,” then you will reap great benefits from learning how to talk to someone who doesn’t speak your language. The Orlando area is beautifully diverse in terms of languages, but, for the sake of efficiency, we’ll stick with the top five most-spoken languages.
- In the United States, English is currently the most spoken language, and the city of Orlando is no different. It may come as no surprise, but English is spoken by nearly 75% of the total population. Anyone living in the Orlando area would benefit greatly from learning how to speak, write and read English proficiently.
- Florida boasts a thriving community of Spanish-speaking residents. Orlando is lucky to share in this rich population of Spanish speakers, and it comes in as the second-most spoken language. Roughly 17% of the total population gives voice to this language. Developing the ability to speak Spanish will open many roads to communication in the city of Orlando!
- After English and Spanish, the third-most spoken languages in Orlando are French Creole languages, specifically Haitian Creole. Speakers of this language live in several areas of the city and account for about 2% of the population. Despite how low this percentage may seem, French Creole, especially Haitian Creole, is particularly useful given the strong connections that Orlando has with Haiti. You’ll know if you’ve ever passed by the Haitian Consulate General Office on East Colonial Drive.
- Coming in at the fourth-most spoken language in Orlando is Portuguese. Portuguese is spoken by 1.3% of the inhabitants in Orlando, and it is a close relative of Spanish. If you choose to learn Spanish, your ability to pick up Portuguese should not be too difficult to accomplish. You’ll have the distinguished honor of knowing two useful languages.
- Last but certainly not least, the fifth-most spoken language in Orlando is Arabic, one of the most spoken languages in the world. Only 1% of Orlando citizens speak this language, but don’t let that percentage fool you. While difficult for English speakers to master, Arabic is an invaluable language to understand for use in Orlando and around the world.
If all this talk about the languages of Orlando has got you excited to learn a few, no worries. We have you covered! Orange County Library System maintains an impressive collection of language learning books, CDs and DVDs. We also benefit from online language learning platforms like Mango Languages, Rocket Languages and Pronunciator, available to all OCLS cardholders!
