Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Los Angeles/LA metro would be a good option for a language lover such as yourself. You will hear all sorts of different languages and dialects everyday. It's one of the most diverse places in the world, with LA County having the most different languages spoken and highest percentage of multilingual residents by some accounts. And you'll find a high number of publications and media catering to those different communities. And of course you'll find numerous foreign film, music, entertainment and cultural events in LA. Also you'll find the largest number of certain ethnicity (and their ethnic enclaves) outside of their respective countries in LA (i.e. Koreans, Persians, Thai, Filipinos, Armenians, Mexicans, Salvadorans, etc).
Houston, San Diego, Dallas, Chicago are good options too.
Chinese, more specifically Mandarin: L.A., S.F./S.F. Peninsula
Japanese: same as Chinesehttp://gettycredit.com/bunbun/index.jpglisted cities
Spanish: pick a city in California, Texas, Arizona, or Florida.
"Amuricun": south of the Ohio River, even Louisville and Huntington
Crass, caustic American English: Philly, NYC, Boston
"Dontcha know" American English: Minneapolis, Anchorage, Juneau.
Nice share. This will represent the people mostly stayed in the city i guess..
Thank you so much for the responses! A few cities have been mentioned that I never considered before.
I haven't seen Seattle mentioned yet, and I'm curious about it. I've read quite a bit about the Scandinavian and Russian communities there--are they fairly present in the city?
Portuguese, English (with dozens of different accents), Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and French can easily be heard in a given day.
Portuguese, English (with dozens of different accents), Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and French can easily be heard in a given day.
I would add Cape Verdean Creole, Vietnamese, Italian (especially in the North End), and Russian to that list.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that Boston is most likely my ideal American city. The language factor is obviously fantastic, and in the source provided by Verseau it says there are several local publications/radio programs in other languages. This is a huge plus. The city also has everything else I love—four seasons, walkability, and the ocean. I wasn't taking the option too seriously before, mainly because of the cost of living, but at this point I'm pretty sure I can make the best out of a roommate situation for all of the other perks. Are there other areas/neighborhoods that you might recommend if I visit in a month or so, in order to get a better idea of the linguistic diversity? Thanks!
Surprised no one has mentioned Washington DC. When I 'm there I hear many languages spoken on the streets just walking around Northwest and downtown, presumably becuase of the tourists from all over and because of all the embassies in DC. And of course the place is overrun with trade associatons, international banking groups, journalists, and students from around the world. DC can be a good city in respect of cultural amenities and social life too. COL is high, but not quite at SF or NYC levels from what I gather.
Los Angeles/LA metro would be a good option for a language lover such as yourself. You will hear all sorts of different languages and dialects everyday. It's one of the most diverse places in the world, with LA County having the most different languages spoken and highest percentage of multilingual residents by some accounts. And you'll find a high number of publications and media catering to those different communities. And of course you'll find numerous foreign film, music, entertainment and cultural events in LA. Also you'll find the largest number of certain ethnicity (and their ethnic enclaves) outside of their respective countries in LA (i.e. Koreans, Persians, Thai, Filipinos, Armenians, Mexicans, Salvadorans, etc).
I too think Los Angeles would be a good option as long as you don't mind driving (since you mentioned that you had lived in NYC and SF both cities with excellent public transportation).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
