Neighborhood

Roosevelt Island

Manhattan
In the Census-defined PUMA including the Upper East Side, according to recent Census data, (in descending order) French and Cantonese each have at least 1000 speakers. English and Spanish varieties are widely spoken in the area as well.
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Languages with a significant site in this neighborhood, marked by a point on the map:

Alsatian

Ëlsässisch
Thousands of Alsatians came to New York in the decades following the German takeover of the territory in 1871, including many who spoke the Germanic language variety Alsatian but nonetheless identified as French. A substantial number of Alsatian Jews also settled in New York, joining to varying extents joined with German Jews but also retaining a distinct community with institutions such as the Société israélite française de New York and the Orach Chaim synagogue on the Upper East Side. Today, most of the roughly 200 Alsatian speakers in New York City are over 50 years old, as language use — even in Alsace itself — is declining every year, as with other minority languages of France such as Breton, Basque, and Corsican. Older Alsatians lives mostly in Midtown Manhattan, while younger generations are spread throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Two classic Alsatian restaurants, Café d'Alsace and La Cigogne, can be found on the Upper East Side and in Carroll Gardens, respectively. Founded by refugees in 1871, L'Union Alsacienne of New York, along with partners at The National Arts Club and the French Consulate, have been working to keep Alsatian culture alive in NYC.

Chiga

Rukiga
One Ugandan staffer working at the United Nations and living on Roosevelt Island was reported to speak Chiga, from the region of Kabale near the border with Rwanda and reportedly mutually intelligible with Kinyarwanda.

Kota

Ikota
Kota, also called Mahongwe, is a language spoken by the Bakota people, some 40-50,000 of whom live along the border that runs between Gabon and the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). In Gabon, most inhabit the provinces of Ogooué-Ivindo and Haut-Ogooué, while in Congo-Brazzaville most are in the north of the country, near Kelle and Mbomo, or in the southeast. Ikota is classified by linguists as a Northwest Bantu language of zone B, within Africa's massive Niger-Congo language family. ELA has worked in depth with one Mahongwé woman from Mekambo now living in the city, Sefiyatou Dvorak, who was living on Roosevelt Island at the time. Read more here.

Shona

ChiShona
According to a staff member at the United Nations, there are five Shona-speaking families on Roosevelt Island who gather occasionally for festivities. Given the language's substantial speaker base in southern and eastern Africa, there are likely to be many other speakers scattered around the city.
Additional languages spoken in this neighborhood:
  • Bislama
  • Fijian
  • Oshiwambo
  • Samoan
  • Tongan
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