The Languages of New Haven
Introduction
As a place that has for centuries been home to different populations, New Haven today boasts a diversity of languages and cultures: one in eight of its residents are foreign-born, over 60 home languages are spoken by students of Greater New Haven’s public schools, and dozens of modern and classical languages are taught here (see DataHaven report below). Yet, while popular U.S. culture often denies a public role for languages other than English, many of New Haven’s languages remain invisible to casual visitors and longtime residents alike.
Inspired by such initiatives as the multi-city LUCIDE research project in Europe, Multilingual Manchester (University of Manchester, UK), and the Language Capital Project (University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ), The Languages of New Haven represents an attempt to give greater visibility and recognition to New Haven’s linguistic and cultural diversity as a community asset and educational opportunity.
New Haven Community Language Map
This collaborative map was begun by participants at a CLS Instructional Innovation Workshop on Community-Based Language Learning in May 2016. It does not (and cannot) attempt to depict the ‘complete picture’ of linguistic diversity in New Haven. Instead, it invites reflection and continued contributions from the public by pointing to some of the intersections between language and place including:
- Places where languages other than English are spoken, can be overheard, and/or where the written languages are visible in public
- Places where languages other than English are taught or learned, either in a formal institution, or less formally
- Places where language other than English used to be heard, seen or taught but is no more; alternatively, a place where a language is not audible or visible, but is felt, imagined, or hoped for
- Places in New Haven that have appeared prominently in literature, song, film or other media in a language other than English
Suggestions for additions are welcome and encouraged from all community members! Please use this form to contribute.
Resources
Maps and Reports
- The Modern Language Association Language Map - uses aggregated data from the American Community Survey (ACS) to display locations and numbers of speakers of 30 languages commonly spoken in the U.S.
- CT Schools Map - CT Open Data map of all public educational organizations in Connecticut as of April 25, 2014
- New Haven Public Schools 2013-4 School Year - City of New Haven map (PDF)
- New Haven Demographics - a graph of statistics on New Haven’s race/ethnicity/color/nativity/origin composition from 1790-2010, by William Rankin (Radical Cartography)
- Understanding the Impact of Immigration in Greater New Haven - 2015 DataHaven report
Language Education in New Haven
- New Haven Public Schools World Languages Department
- Gateway Community College Humanities Department
- Quinnipiac University Department of Modern Languages
- Southern Connecticut State University Department of World Languages and Literatures
- Spanish at Albertus Magnus College
- University of New Haven Modern Languages Minor
- Language Study at Yale University
- New Haven Register, 1/9/16: “More than 60 languages spoken in New Haven schools present challenge, opportunity”