Neighborhood

Tompkinsville

Staten Island
In descending order, Urdu, Albanian, Russian, Polish, "Niger-Congo languages", Sinhalese, Italian, French, Cantonese are among the most widely spoken languages across the north shore of Staten Island, with at least 1000 speakers each, according to recent Census data. Varieties of English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic are also widely spoken. ELA data shows no significant sites for smaller language communities in this neighborhood.
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Languages with a significant site in this neighborhood, marked by a point on the map:

American Sign Language

American Sign Language
A significant portion of New York City's estimated Deaf population of over 200,000 use American Sign Language, as well as a number of CODAs (children of Deaf adults). Worldwide there exist up to several hundred other sign languages, often little documented and highly endangered, and at least some are likely used in New York, particularly by those who may have attended Deaf school in other countries — though it's likely they shift to ASL or at least codeswitch with ASL once in the city. While ASL signers live throughout the city, there are key hubs for the language, including the few remaining Deaf Clubs, important social clubs; religious institutions like St. Elizabeth's Deaf Church in Manhattan; and Queens' Lexington School for the Deaf, memorably described in Leah Hager Cohen's book Train Go Sorry.

Geg Albanian

Shqip (Gegë)
Northern Geg varieties of Albanian are particularly common in the historically Italian Arthur Avenue and Pelham Parkway sections of the Bronx (where many Kosovar Albanians settled beginning in the 1960s and 70s); in Astoria, Ridgewood, and other areas of Queens (where many have roots in southern Montenegro); and increasingly in areas of Staten Island. Many came as refugees from the former Yugoslavia, followed by others during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the ensuing wars. Waterbury, Connecticut is also home to a substantial community, including many Geg speakers from Struga, North Macedonia.

Sri Lankan Malay

Melayu
New York is home to the largest Sri Lankan community outside of Sri Lanka, concentrated in Staten Island's Tompkinsville neighborhood, with long-standing cultural institutions and acclaimed restaurants like Lakruwana and New Asha, as well as a community in and around Queens Village and one in New Jersey. Much of Sri Lanka's diversity is represented here, including not just the majority Sinhalese, but also Sri Lankan Tamils (who speak a distinct variety of that South Indian language), Sri Lankan Catholics (who have had Sinhalese mass at St. Adalbert's Church), and even a few Sri Lankan Malay speakers. The first groups of Sri Lankans started arriving in the United States in the 1950s, but it wasn't until the 1990s, during the Civil War that lasted until 2009, that large numbers of Sinhalese began arriving. All groups may also use a distinctive Sri Lankan English as a lingua franca.
Additional languages spoken in this neighborhood:
  • Sinhalese
  • Sri Lankan English
  • Sri Lankan Tamil
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Tompkinsville

Staten Island

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