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Language Questions by Country
North America — countries documented in the supplied census questionnaires
American Samoa
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2020
- Form
- 2020 Census of American Samoa — Demographic and Housing Questionnaire
- Question
- 17a–17c
a. Does this person speak a language other than English at home? b. What is this language? c. How well does this person speak English?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| 17a | Yes; No |
| 17b | For example: Korean, Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese |
| 17c | Very well; Well; Not well; Not at all |
Question type: 4 — a writein response but includes examples in prompt
Belize
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2022
- Form
- Population & Housing Census — Individual Questionnaire
- Question
- 1.6
Which language(s) do you/does N speak well enough to conduct a conversation?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| Creole; Maya Mopan; English; Chinese; Spanish; Hindi; Garifuna; Other (Specify); German; Maya Yucatec; Cannot speak; Maya Ketchi; DK/NS |
Question type: 3 — specified options plus room for a writein (not just "other")
Brazil
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2022
- Form
- Censo Demográfico 2022 — Questionário Básico
- Question
- 4.04 FALA LÍNGUA INDÍGENA NO DOMICÍLIO? / 4.04.1 ESPECIFIQUE A(S) LÍNGUA(S) INDÍGENA(S) / 4.05 FALA PORTUGUÊS NO DOMICÍLIO?
4.04 FALA LÍNGUA INDÍGENA NO DOMICÍLIO? / 4.04.1 ESPECIFIQUE A(S) LÍNGUA(S) INDÍGENA(S) / 4.05 FALA PORTUGUÊS NO DOMICÍLIO?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| Indigenous language | Yes / No; if Yes, specify up to three Indigenous languages. |
| Portuguese | Yes / No; includes Brazilian Sign Language in the instruction. |
Question type: 3 — yes/no plus specified language list/write-in fields
Canada
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2021
- Form
- 2021 Census of Population — 2A-L Long Form
- Question
- 8–10 and 22 — language questions
8–10 and 22 — language questions
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| 8 | Can this person speak English or French well enough to conduct a conversation? |
| 9 | What language(s) does this person speak on a regular basis at home? Which one does this person speak most often at home? |
| 10 | What is the language that this person first learned at home in childhood and still understands? |
| 22 | What language(s), other than English or French, can this person speak well enough to conduct a conversation? |
Question type: Multiple language measures; includes regular home language, first learned language, and conversational ability
Costa Rica
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2022
- Form
- XI Censo Nacional de Población y VII de Vivienda — Enumeration Form
- Question
- Language questions associated with Question 7 and the individual section
Language questions associated with Question 7 and the individual section
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| Indigenous language | ¿Puede mantener una conversación en algún idioma indígena? Sí / No. |
| Limonense Creole | ¿Puede mantener una conversación en criollo limonense? Sí / No. |
| Chinese | ¿Puede mantener una conversación en mandarín, cantonés u otro dialecto chino? Sí / No. |
| Spanish | 9. ¿(Nombre) puede mantener una conversación en español? Sí / No. |
Question type: 2 — separate yes/no conversational-language questions
Guam
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2020
- Form
- 2020 Census of Guam — Demographic and Housing Questionnaire
- Question
- 17a–17c
a. Does this person speak a language other than English at home? b. What is this language? c. How well does this person speak English?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| 17a | Yes; No. |
| 17b | Write in the language; examples include Korean, Italian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. |
| 17c | Very well; Well; Not well; Not at all. |
Question type: 4 — write-in language response with examples and specified English-proficiency options
Source: guam_2020_questionnaire.pdf
Guatemala
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2018
- Form
- Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2017–2018 — Enumeration Form
- Question
- PCP15, PCP24–PCP25
PCP15: ¿Cuál es el idioma en el que aprendió a hablar? PCP24: Además del idioma en el que aprendió a hablar, ¿sabe hablar otro idioma? PCP25: ¿En qué otros idiomas sabe hablar?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| PCP15 | Language in which the person learned to speak; record the language and code. |
| PCP24 | Yes / No — whether the person speaks another language in addition to the language learned to speak. |
| PCP25 | Record the other languages the person knows how to speak. |
Question type: 3 — coded language responses plus additional-language fields
Mexico
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2020
- Form
- Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020 — Cuestionario básico/ampliado
- Question
- Basic Q6–Q8 / Expanded Q12–Q15
¿(NOMBRE) habla algún dialecto o lengua indígena? ¿Qué dialecto o lengua indígena habla? ¿Habla también español? ¿Entiende algún dialecto o lengua indígena? (Expanded)
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| Indigenous-language speaking | Yes / No. |
| Language | Write the Indigenous dialect or language. |
| Spanish | Yes / No. |
| Understanding (expanded) | Yes / No. |
Question type: 3 — yes/no questions plus Indigenous-language write-in
Northern Mariana Islands
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2020
- Form
- 2020 Census of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands — Demographic and Housing Questionnaire
- Question
- Q17a–Q17c
Does this person speak a language other than English at home? What is this language? How well does this person speak English?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| 17a | Yes / No. |
| 17b | Write in the language; examples include Korean, Italian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. |
| 17c | Very well; Well; Not well; Not at all. |
Question type: 4 — yes/no, language write-in, and specified English-proficiency categories
Sint Maarten
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2022
- Form
- Population and Housing Census Sint Maarten 2022 — Questionnaire
- Question
- Q33–Q34
What language or languages are usually spoken in this household? What language is spoken most in this household?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| Q33 | English; Papiamentu; Dutch; Spanish; French Creole; French; Chinese; Portuguese; Hindi; Other — specify. |
| Q34 | Record the language spoken most in the household; Other can be specified. |
Question type: 2 — specified household-language categories plus Other
U.S. Virgin Islands
- Status
- Yes
- Year
- 2020
- Form
- 2020 Census of the U.S. Virgin Islands — Demographic and Housing Questionnaire
- Question
- Q17a–c
Does this person speak a language other than English at home? What is this language? How well does this person speak English?
Responses:
| Code / item | Response |
|---|---|
| Other language at home | Yes / No. |
| Language | Write in the language spoken at home; examples include Korean, Italian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. |
| English proficiency | Very well; Well; Not well; Not at all. |
Question type: 3 — yes/no, open language write-in, and specified English-proficiency categories