The given charts depict how the percentages of American students at a single university who were able to speak languages other than English varied in the years 2005 and 2015.
Overall, the proportion of American students unable to speak another language decreased significantly over the decade. Consequently, the percentage of students who could speak at least one additional language rose, with Spanish remaining the most popular foreign language.
Looking at the details, the figure for students speaking no additional language saw a substantial fall, from 45% in 2005 to just 30% in 2015. The only other category to see a decline was the proportion of students speaking two additional languages, which dipped slightly from 14% to 12%.
In contrast, there was a considerable rise in the percentage of students who could speak only Spanish, which increased from 18% to 29% over the period. The figures for students speaking only French and another language also grew, rising to 10% and 14% respectively. The only category that remained unchanged was the proportion of German speakers, which stood at 5% in both years.
