Huge number of Californians speak a non-English language in their private lives

According to a report in today’s LA Times, 43% of the people in California speak a language other than English in their homes and private lives, and a stunning 53% in L.A. speak another language:

In California, “welcome” is more of an international affair than ever — with nearly 43% of residents speaking a language other than English at home, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The trend was even more pronounced in Los Angeles, where more than 53% of residents speak another language at home. Spanish is by far the most common, but Californians also converse in Korean, Thai, Russian, Hmong, Armenian and dozens of other languages. The census numbers are likely to fuel a decades-long debate in California over immigrants continuing to use their native tongue. There have been battles over bilingual education, foreign-language ballots and English-only restrictions on business signs. While immigration is the driving force for the state’s linguistic diversity, experts said people often speak another language out of choice rather than necessity. Some do so to get ahead professionally, while others want to maintain connections with their homelands.