Languages of Illinois

The official language of Illinois is English. Nearly 80% of the population speak English natively, and most others speak it fluently as a second language. The forms of American English spoken in Illinois range from Inland Northern near Chicago and the northern part of the state, to Midland and Southern dialects further downstate. Illinois has speakers of many other languages, of which Spanish is by far the most widespread. Illinois's indigenous languages disappeared when the Indian population was deported under the policy of Indian Removal.

## Official language

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English is Illinois's official language. Illinois was one of the first states in the United States to pass an official language law, though its first official language was not English but "American". In 1923, Representative Washington J. McCormick of Montana had failed to pass a bill in the United States Congress declaring "American" to be the official language of the United States. Following the bill's failure, Senator Frank Ryan introduced a similar bill to the Illinois General Assembly.[1] The bill passed with the support of Irish and Jewish politicians in Chicago, who, by rejecting the term "English", wanted to show their opposition to British policies in Ireland and Palestine, respectively.[2] In 1969, another act of the General Assembly replaced "American" with "English."[3] Meanwhile, the term "American language" survives in some legislation from the period.[4] Unlike official language laws in many other states, the statute in Illinois is purely symbolic, having the same status as laws naming state symbols like the state bird and state fossil.[5]

## Dialects of English

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The English of Illinois varies from Inland Northern in the northern part of the state, to Midland and Southern further south. The Northern Cities Vowel Shift is advanced in Chicago and its vicinity, and some features of the shift can be heard along The St. Louis Corridor, a southwestern extension of the NCVS stretching from the Chicago area to St. Louis.[6] The distribution of dialect features reflects the origins of early English-speaking settlers: Inland Northern predominates in areas first settled by people from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Germany; Midland and Southern are spoken in areas settled by people from the southern United States.[7] African American Vernacular English is also spoken in parts of the state.

## Other languages

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As of 2010, 78.26% (9,315,206) of Illinois residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 12.74% (1,516,674) spoke Spanish, 1.64% (195,600) Polish, 0.67% (80,954) Chinese (which includes Cantonese and Mandarin), and 0.64% (75,754) Tagalog. In total, 21.74% (2,587,254) of Illinois's population age 5 and older spoke a mother language other than English.[8] Among those who speak a language other than English at home, most (57.3%) reported in 2010 that they also speak English "very well." 20.7% spoke English "well," 15.9% spoke it "not well," and only 6.2% "not at all".[9]

Top 10 Non-English Languages Spoken in Illinois Language | Percentage of population
(as of 2010)[8]

|

Spanish | 12.74%
Polish | 1.64%
Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin) | 0.67%
Tagalog | 0.65%
German and Korean (tied) | 0.45%
Arabic | 0.38%
Urdu and Russian (tied) | 0.35%
Italian | 0.34%
Gujarati | 0.32%
Greek and Hindi (tied) | 0.30%

In the colonial period, the Miami-Illinois language was spoken throughout the territory of the modern state. Jacques Gravier, a missionary at Starved Rock, wrote the first French-Illinois dictionary in 1700; Jean Le Boullenger wrote another in 1725.[10] Other indigenous languages at the time of statehood in 1818 included Potawatomi, Sauk-Fox, and Ojibwe. These languages disappeared from Illinois when the U.S. carried out Indian Removal, culminating in the Black Hawk War of 1832 and the 1833 Treaty of Chicago.

French was the language of colonial Illinois before 1763, and under British rule remained the most-spoken language in the main settlements of Cahokia and Kaskaskia. Many French speakers left Illinois after it came under U.S. control following the Illinois Campaign of 1778, but Illinois was still a bilingual territory for several more years before the flood of Anglo-American settlers overwhelmed the old communities.[11] By the time of statehood in 1818, French was in decline for matters of politics and government.[12] Colonial French died out in Illinois but survived as Missouri French in some communities across the Mississippi River.[13] The 2010 census reported 34,938 French speakers in Illinois, 0.29% of the population.[8]

## References

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1. ^ Crews, Haibert O. (January 23, 1923). "Talk American, Not English". Champaign-Urbana Courier. p. 10. Retrieved March 23, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ Baron, Dennis (n.d.). "Language Laws and Related Court Decisions". Dennis Baron: Professor of English and linguistics. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of English. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
3. ^ Davis, Robert (September 24, 1969). "News Briefs: Its Legal—We Speak English". Chicago Tribune. sec. 1, p. 3. Retrieved March 23, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ For example, 225 ILCS 705/27.01
5. ^ Baron, Dennis (2001). "Language Legislation and Language Abuse: American Language Policy through the 1990s". In Dueñas González, Roseann; Melis, Ildikó (eds.). Language Ideologies: Critical Perspectives on the Official English Movement. Vol. 2: History, Theory, and Policy. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 0-8058-4054-0. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
6. ^ Friedman, Lauren (2012). "A Northern Cities Shift Retreat in the St. Louis Corridor" (PDF). 36th Annual Penn Linguistics Colloquium. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
7. ^ Frazer, Timothy C. (2007). "Tongue ties: The linguistic map of western Illinois". Illinois Heritage. 10 (3). Springfield: Illinois State Historical Society: 12–15. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
8. ^ a b c "Illinois". Modern Language Association. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
9. ^ Ryan, Camille (August 2013). "Language Use in the United States: American Community Survey Reports" (PDF). Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
10. ^ "The Illinois Identity: Language". MuseumLink Illinois. Illinois State Museum. 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
11. ^ Boggess, Arthur Clinton (1908). The Settlement of Illinois 1778-1830 (PDF). Chicago: Chicago Historical Society. p. 50\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-16. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
12. ^ Boggess, 135
13. ^ O'Connor, Rorye (15 November 2012). "French still thrives in the Illinois territory". Mt. Vernon Register-News. Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.

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Regions|

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Municipalities|

* Alton/Granite City/Edwardsville
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* Moline/East Moline/Rock Island
* Mount Vernon
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* Orland Park/Tinley Park
* Ottawa/Streator/LaSalle/Peru
* Peoria/Pekin/East Peoria/Morton/Washington
* Pontiac
* Quincy
* Rochelle
* Rockford/Belvidere/Machesney Park/Loves Park
* St. Charles
* Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates/Elk Grove Village
* Springfield
* Sterling/Rock Falls
* Taylorville
* Waukegan/North Chicago/Gurnee
* Wheaton

Counties|

* Adams
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* Bureau
* Calhoun
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* Champaign
* Christian
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* Kane
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* Kendall
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* Lake
* LaSalle
* Lawrence
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* Livingston
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* Macoupin
* Madison
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mason
* Massac
* McDonough
* McHenry
* McLean
* Menard
* Mercer
* Monroe
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* Morgan
* Moultrie
* Ogle
* Peoria
* Perry
* Piatt
* Pike
* Pope
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Randolph
* Richland
* Rock Island
* Saline
* Sangamon
* Schuyler
* Scott
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* St. Clair
* Stark
* Stephenson
* Tazewell
* Union
* Vermilion
* Wabash
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* White
* Whiteside
* Will
* Williamson
* Winnebago
* Woodford

Illinois portal

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Languages of the United States

Languages in italics are extinct.

English|

Dialects of American English

* African-American English
* Vernacular
* American Indian English
* Appalachian English
* Baltimore English
* Boston English
* Cajun English
* California English
* Chicano English
* General American English
* Good American Speech
* High Tider English
* Inland Northern American English
* Miami English
* Maine English
* Midland American English
* New England Englishes
* Eastern
* Western
* New Mexican Englishes
* New Orleans English
* New York City English
* New York Latino English
* Northeastern elite accent
* Northern American English
* North-Central American / Upper Midwestern English
* Pacific Northwest English
* Pennsylvania Dutch
* Philadelphia English
* Puerto Rican Englishes
* Southern American English
* Older
* Texan English
* Upper Michigan English
* Utah Mormon English
* Western American English
* Western Pennsylvania English
* Yeshiva English

Oral Indigenous
languages|

| Families|

| Algic|

* Abenaki
* Arapaho
* Blackfoot
* Cheyenne
* Cree
* Fox
* Malecite-Passamaquoddy
* Massachusett
* Menominee
* Mi'kmaq
* Munsee
* Ojibwe
* Potawatomi
* Shawnee

* Etchemin
* Gros Ventre
* Loup
* Nawathinehena
* Mahican
* Miami-Illinois
* Mohegan-Pequot
* Nanticoke
* Narragansett
* Pamlico
* Powhatan
* Quiripi
* Unami
* Wiyot
* Yurok

|

Austronesian|

* Chamorro
* Hawaiian
* Refaluwasch
* Samoan
* Tokelauan

Caddoan|

* Arikara
* Pawnee

* Caddo
* Kitsai
* Wichita

Chinookan|

* Kathlamet
* Tsinúk
* Upper Chinook

Comecrudan|

* Comecrudo
* Garza
* Mamulique

Chumashan|

* Barbareño
* Cruzeño
* Obispeño
* Purisimeño
* Ventureño

Dené(–
Yeniseian?)|

* Ahtna
* Deg Xinag
* Dena'ina
* Gwich’in
* Hän
* Hupa
* Jicarilla
* Koyukon
* Lower Tanana
* Mescalero-Chiricahua
* Navajo
* Tanacross
* Upper Kuskokwim
* Upper Tanana
* Western Apache

* Cahto
* Eyak
* Holikachuk
* Kwalhioqua-Clatskanie
* Lipan
* Mattole
* Plains Apache
* Tolowa
* Tsetsaut
* Tututni
* Upper Umpqua
* Wailaki

Eskaleut|

* Inuit
* Inupiat
* Aleut
* Alutiiq
* Central Alaskan Yup'ik
* Central Siberian Yupik
* Chevak Cup’ik

Iroquoian|

* Cayuga
* Cherokee
* Mohawk
* Oneida
* Onondaga
* Seneca

* Erie
* Neutral Huron
* Nottoway
* Susquehannock
* Tuscarora
* Wyandot
* Wenrohronon

Kalapuyan|

* Central Kalapuya
* Northern Kalapuya
* Yoncalla

Keresan|

* Cochiti Pueblo
* San Felipe–Santo Domingo
* Zia–Santa Ana Pueblos
* Western Keres
* Acoma Pueblo
* Laguna Pueblo

Maiduan|

* Konkow
* Chico
* Maidu
* Nisenan

Muskogean|

* Alabama
* Chickasaw
* Choctaw
* Koasati
* Mikasuki
* Muscogee

* Apalachee
* Houma

Palaihnihan|

* Achumawi
* Atsugewi

Plateau Penutian|

* Nez Perce
* Sahaptin

* Klamath
* Molala

Pomoan|

* Kashaya
* Southeastern Pomo

* Central Pomo
* Eastern Pomo
* Northeastern Pomo
* Northern Pomo
* Southern Pomo

Salishan|

* Coeur d'Alene
* Halkomelem
* North Straits Salish
* Okanagan
* Salish
* Thompson

* Columbia-Moses
* Cowlitz
* Klallam
* Lower Chehalis
* Lushootseed
* Nooksack
* Quinault
* Tillamook
* Twana
* Upper Chehalis

Siouan|

* Assiniboine
* Crow
* Dakota
* Hidatsa
* Lakota
* Omaha–Ponca
* Stoney
* Winnebago

* Biloxi
* Catawba
* Chiwere
* Kansa
* Mandan
* Mitchigamea
* Moneton
* Ofo
* Osage
* Quapaw
* Tutelo-Saponi
* Woccon

Tanoan|

* Jemez
* Kiowa
* Picuris
* Southern Tiwa
* Taos
* Tewa

* Piro Pueblo

Tsimshianic|

* Coast Tsimshian

Utian|

* Central Sierra Miwok
* Southern Sierra Miwok

* Bay Miwok
* Coast Miwok
* Lake Miwok
* Northern Sierra Miwok
* Plains Miwok
* Awaswas
* Chalon
* Chochenyo
* Karkin
* Mutsun
* Ramaytush
* Rumsen
* Tamyen

Uto-Aztecan|

* Comanche
* Hopi
* Kawaiisu
* Mono
* Northern Paiute
* O'odham
* Shoshoni
* Timbisha
* Ute-Chemehuevi
* Yaqui

* Ivilyuat
* Cupeño
* Kitanemuk
* Luiseño
* Serrano
* Tongva
* Tübatulabal

Wakashan|

* Makah

Wintuan|

* Patwin
* Nomlaki
* Wintu

Yokuts|

* Valley Yokuts

* Buena Vista Yokuts
* Gashowu Yokuts
* Kings River Yokuts
* Palewyami
* Tule-Kaweah Yokuts

Yuman–
Cochimí|

* Cocopah
* Havasupai–Hualapai
* Ipai
* Kumeyaay
* Maricopa
* Mojave
* Quechan
* Tiipai
* Yavapai

* Halchidhoma

Others|

| Isolates|

* Haida
* Karuk
* Kutenai
* Washo
* Zuni

* Alsea
* Atakapa
* Chimariko
* Chitimacha
* Coahuilteco
* Cotoname
* Esselen
* Natchez
* Salinan
* Siuslaw
* Taensa
* Takelma
* Tawasa
* Timucua
* Tonkawa
* Tunica
* Yana
* Yuchi

|

Mixed or trade
Languages|

* Afro-Seminole Creole
* Chinook Jargon
* Michif

* Mohawk Dutch

Manual Indigenous
languages|

| Hand Talk|

* Anishinaabe Sign Language
* Blackfoot Sign Language
* Cheyenne Sign Language
* Cree Sign Language
* Navajo Sign Language

* Plateau Sign Language
* Ktunaxa Sign Language

|

Isolates|

* Hawai'i Sign Language
* Creole Hawai'i Sign Language
* Inuit Sign Language
* Keresan Pueblo
* Navajo Family Sign Language
* Orocovis Sign Language

Oral settler
languages|

| French|

* Louisiana
* Métis
* Missouri
* Muskrat
* New England

|

German|

* Pennsylvania Dutch
* Hutterite
* Plautdietsch
* Bernese
* Alsatian
* Texas

Spanish|

* Caló (Chicano)
* Isleño
* New Mexican
* Puerto Rican
* Sabine River

Creole and mixed languages|

* Gullah
* Louisiana Creole
* Spanglish
* Angloromani

Manual settler
languages|

| Francosign|

* American Sign Language
* Black American Sign Language
* Protactile
* Puerto Rican Sign Language

|

BANZSL|

* Samoan Sign Language

Kentish|

* Martha's Vineyard Sign Language

Isolates|

* Sandy River Valley Sign Language
* Henniker Sign Language

Immigrant languages
(number of speakers
in 2021 in millions)|

* Spanish (41.3)
* Chinese (3.4)
* Tagalog (1.7)
* Vietnamese (1.5)
* Arabic (1.4)
* French (1.2)
* Korean (1.1)
* Russian (1.0)
* Portuguese (0.9)
* Haitian (0.9)
* Hindi (0.9)
* German (0.9)
* Polish (0.5)
* Italian (0.5)
* Urdu (0.5)
* Persian (0.5)
* Telugu (0.5)
* Japanese (0.5)
* Gujarati (0.4)
* Bengali (0.4)
* Tamil (0.3)
* Punjabi (0.3)
* Serbo-Croatian (0.3)
* Armenian (0.3)
* Greek (0.3)
* Hmong (0.2)
* Hebrew (0.2)
* Khmer (0.2)

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