Rising Voices : Languages of the Valley (Valle, Das Tal, Vallee)

Ethnic diversity of the San Fernando Valley is evident in the sheer number of languages spoken here. Although English is the language most often spoken at home, Spanish-speaking predominates in Sun Valley and Arleta-Pacoima. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, 87 languages and dialects are spoken by its students. The Glendale Unified School District counts 57 languages in its student population.

The profusion of tongues has also lead to a flowering of language classes. The decision to learn a second language differs among ethnic groups, said Cal State Northridge sociolinguist Jacqueline Lindenfeld, who specializes in bilingualism and the relationship between language, culture and society. Parents’ attitude is also a factor, Lindenfeld said. Language immersion programs such as the few in the Valley are more egalitarian, she says, because they allow children to absorb a different culture, as well as learn a language.

The Most Speakers ...

Languages most spoken at home by those five years and older in the Valley:

1. English: 649,225

2. Spanish: 315,289

3. Other Indo-European*: 34,382

4. Tagalog: 19,794

5. Korean: 17,066

6. Chinese: 9,896

7. Arabic: 8,417

8. Indic**: 8,347

9. Vietnamese: 6,866

10. Italian: 6,053

*-Consists of dozens of languages, including Welsh, Albanian, Armenian and Farsi **-includes more than a dozen languages, such as Sanskrit, Hindi and Nepali. In addition to these languages, there are nearly 18,000 the Census Bureau classifies as speakers of “other/unspecified” languages.

1. American Indian: 86

2. Mon Khmer: 950

3. (Other) Slavic: 1,094

4. Portuguese: 1,116

5. South Slavic: 1,247

6. Scandinavian: 1,465

7. Polish: 2,314

8. Greek: 2,377

9. Yiddish: 3,013

10. Hungarian; 3,164

Diversity in Schools

The number of students who are not proficient in English from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District has nearly doubled in the last nine years.

In thousands 1993: 279,899

Languages: To Learning, Preserving

Whether simply to learn, or to preserve one’s heritage, language classes abound. Public schools, commercially-run classes and cultural organizations are among those providing classes.

Hebrew and Yiddish

Hebrew is taught at Jewish centers and many temples. Educators say there is a resurgence in learning Yiddish, which is a thousand years old and an important part of Jewish culture and literature. A few places to take classes are Valley Storefront Multiservice Center in West Hills; Valley Cities Jewish Community Center in Van Nuys; West Valley JCC in West Hills; and the University of Judaism in Bel-Air.

Spanish

Many elementary, high schools and colleges offer Spanish classes, but there are only two Spanish-English immersion programs in the Valley. Hamlin Street Elementary School was the first in the Valley to offer the two-way language program, which aims at making students “bilingual bilerate,” according to Principal Donna Wheeler. Right now kindergartners and first-graders in the program take classes conducted almost entirely in Spanish. At Limerick Avenue Elementary School in Canoga Park, about 100 students are enrolled in its 3-year-old Spanish-English immersion program.

Arabic

Al-Falaq Academy in West Hills is the Valley’s only Islamic school. Started in September by the Islamic Center of Northridge, students in kindergarten, first and second grade learn the fundamentals of the Arabic language, as well as the teachings of Islam.

Chinese

The largest Chinese school for children in the Valley is run by the San Fernando Valley Chinese Cultural Assn., which has 400 to 500 members. On Saturday mornings the students meet at James Monroe High School in North Hills. Language is taught, as well as cultural activities such as dancing, singing, sewing, calligraphy and art. Also on Saturdays, the Northridge Chinese School meets at Andasol Elementary School in Northridge to learn Mandarin and Cantonese, along with painting and dance.

“Parents are interested in their kids being bilingual, if not multilingual ... For those of Hispanic heritage it’s important to come out (of school) bilingual biliterate. Also, there’s an advantage in our society of becoming bilingual biliterate. People are realizing that taking a few years of high school language hasn’t been doing that.” --Donna Wheeler, Hamlin Street School principal

Sources: 1990 U.S. Census, Los Angeles Unified School District, Glendale Unified School District.

Researched and written by JULIE SHEER / Los Angeles Times