Language shift and maintenance among the children of immigrants in the U.S.

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie T. Mora ◽  
Daniel J. Villa ◽  
Alberto Dávila

For over thirty years, research on Spanish in the U.S. has demonstrated an inexorable loss of the language among Spanish speaking populations. This study shows, however, that analyses of 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. Census data, using an innovative approach known as a synthetic cohort analysis, reveal a high degree of transmission of Spanish from first generation to second generation speakers. For the purpose of tracking reported language use of individuals starting at ages 5–7 and ending at ages 15–17, data from the Integrated Public Microdata Series are used here to create two simulated longitudinal samples of Spanish speakers over a ten-year period. English language acquisition is also examined, and the results indicate that second generation speakers are bilingual, with a high degree of control of both Spanish and English.

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 851-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca E. Bersani ◽  
Adam W. Pittman

Objective:This study reassesses the generational disparity in immigrant offending. Patterns and predictors of offending are compared using traditional peer-based models and an alternative within-family (parent–child dyad) model.Method:The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979; NLSY79) and NLSY-Child and Young Adult (NLSY_CYA) data are merged to create an intergenerational data set to compare generational disparities in immigrant offending across peers and within families. Differences in self-reported offending (prevalence and variety) by immigrant generation are assessed using a combination of descriptive analyses (χ2and analysis of variance) and regression models.Results:While NLSY_CYA children generally are at a greater risk of offending compared with the NLSY79 mothers, the difference in offending is greatest between first-generation mom and second-generation child dyads. Disparities in offending are driven in large part by exceedingly low levels of offending among first-generation immigrants.Conclusion:Although the factors driving an increase in offending between parent–child generations are not unique to immigrants, they are amplified in immigrant families. Whereas the second generation is remarkably similar to their U.S.-born counterparts in terms of their involvement in crime, suggesting a high degree of swift integration, the greater involvement in crime among the children of immigrants compared to their foreign-born mothers suggests a decline in well-being across successive generations.


Author(s):  
John R. Ferris

The study of military intelligence lies at the intersection of “military” and “intelligence” history. The first is a rich and ancient field; the second is new, and smaller. The intersection between them is problematic. Much of the best military history takes intelligence for granted, while the strongest works about intelligence often do not address military topics. Discussions of military intelligence, moreover, touch on broader issues, like strategy, command, and communications. Works on military intelligence are not uniformly mature. Hence, narrow studies often are the best account available of important issues, even though they do not cover a whole topic. Articles and anthologies are more useful than in most areas of military history. Rather than discuss weak studies about intelligence in important fields of military history, this bibliography aims to describe the best literature on military intelligence. Thus, it has special sections on areas where work on military intelligence is strong, and smaller sections on periods or topics where the study is weak, no matter how intrinsically important the latter may be. Unfortunately, many important areas of military intelligence have received little attention, while a disproportionate number of good works focus on the Anglo-American experiences in the two world wars, which distorts understanding of the phenomenon as a whole. Sometimes, a good military history which pays respectable attention to intelligence is the best work available; or, alternatively, as with psychological warfare, a few old books offer a better picture than hundreds of more recent, but more narrow, articles. Throughout the field, far more than with other areas of military history, one must take unusual care in avoiding bad books, which are legion. This bibliography aims not merely to guide readers toward good books, but also away from bad ones; to note not just strengths, but also to suggest areas where more research is desirable, and possible. Often, these works should be seen as case studies, which illustrate the experiences not just of one service or country, but many of both. Most of these works represent first-generation scholarship. There are as yet few cases of second-generation historiography, replete with revisionism and debate. Such cases will be noted. This guide also focuses on works written in the English language.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Martillo Viner

This paper analyzes naturalistic data from second-generation NYC bilinguals on their obligatory subjunctive use. First-generation NYC Spanish speakers serve as the reference model for the nine obligatory semantic & syntactic contexts. A total of 52 consultants are considered, 26 for each generation, from the six primary Spanish-speaking groups in NYC: Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Colombian. The objective is to determine, through quantitative and qualitative investigation, whether the second-generation’s obligatory subjunctive use has changed, and if so, to establish exactly where and how it differs from the first-generation, thus contributing to the variationist-sociolinguistic knowledge of Spanish grammar in bilingual settings. Statistically significant external and internal findings show that the two generational groups do in fact use the obligatory subjunctive differently. Close examination, however, suggests that second-generation bilinguals generally command obligatory subjunctive use, but do exhibit signs of a variable mood grammar.


Author(s):  
Nijmeh Hajjar

This chapter examines the development of the Arab Australian novel since its beginnings, surveying works produced in Arabic and English by three generations of Arab Australian authors. It first considers David Malouf, whose Johnno (1975) marks the beginning of the Arab Australian novel, before turning to first-generation immigrants who introduced the Arabic-language novel in the 1980s and the English-language immigrant novel in the mid-1990s. It then discusses the contribution of the second-generation Arab Australians in the literary field. It shows that the Arab Australian novel is more than just an “immigrant narrative,” or fictional “Arab voices in Diaspora,” and that all Arab Australian novelists, except for Malouf, are preoccupied with the questions of home and identity.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco ◽  
Carola Suárez-Orozco

AbstractIn the first decade of the new millennium, a new cycle of public concern about the benefits and harms of immigration has erupted. The harsh spotlight on undocumented immigration and border controls has blinded us to many important facets of the problem. In this article, we focus on the experience and integration of the children of immigrants. These youth are the largest growing segment of the U.S. child population—now constituting 20% of our nation's children and projected by the year 2040 to make up one-third of our children. Immigrant-origin youth are extraordinarily diverse, and their experiences resist facile generalizations. The social and educational outcomes of immigrant youth will thus vary substantially depending upon the specific constellation of resources and the settlement context. Of critical importance is how immigrant youth fare academically, as this has long-term implications for their future, as well as our society's well-being. While some are successfully navigating the U.S. educational system, large numbers struggle academically, leaving school without having acquired the tools that will enable them to function in the highly competitive labor market and ever more complex society. Here we explore a variety of factors that shed light on the educational integration of the children of immigrants: educational background; poverty; segregation; undocumented status; English-language acquisition; promoting academic engagement; family relations; peer relationships; communities and community organizations; and mentoring relationships. We advocate a major new policy agenda to ease the transition of America's newest and littlest arrivals to their new home.


Author(s):  
Durriya H. Z. Khairullah ◽  
Zahid Y. Khairullah

This paper is an extension of a previous study which addressed cultural perceptions of first generation Asian-Indians. The current study includes second generation Asian-Indians in the U.S. (The United States of America) and compares their reactions to the first generation subjects regarding Indian magazine advertisements versus American magazine advertisements of the same product class. The results indicate that cultural perceptions of the second generation Asian-Indian are similar to cultural perceptions of first generation Asian-Indians in the earlier study. In general, both generations appear to prefer Indian advertisements more than the corresponding American advertisements. This offers opportunities for U.S. marketers to continue to develop culturally attuned advertising strategies to effectively reach the growing and affluent Asian-Indians in the U.S.


2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1593-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie L Citrome ◽  
Richard IG Holt ◽  
Woodie M Zachry ◽  
Jerry D Clewell ◽  
Paul A Orth ◽  
...  

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been reported during antipsychotic treatment. Objective: To quantify the potential risk of treatment-emergent diabetes mellitus among patients receiving antipsychotic medications. Methods: The MEDLINE and Psychinfo databases were searched using the key words antipsychotic (including individual drug names), diabetes, risk, and incidence for all English-language articles published between 1966 and 2005. Risk calculations were performed using data obtained from pharmacoepidemiologic studies that met the following criteria: (1) cohort design, (2) determination of preexisting diabetes, (3) inclusion of antipsychotic monotherapy as an exposure variable, and (4) comparison with exposure to first-generation antipsychotics. Studies meeting these criteria were used to calculate incidence, attributable risk between agents, and number needed to harm. Results: A total of 25 observational pharmacoepidemiologic studies were found comparing antipsychotics on the outcome of diabetes mellitus. Sufficient information was provided in 15 of the reports to be able to estimate attributable risk, Attributable risk for individual second-generation antipsychotics relative to first-generation antipsychotics ranged from 53 more to 46 fewer new cases of diabetes per 1000 patients. Little observable difference was noted between the individual second-generation antipsychotics versus first-generation antipsychotics on this outcome. However, few of the studies controlled for body weight, race or ethnicity, or the presence of diabetogenic medications. None adjusted for familial history of diabetes, levels of physical activity, or diet, as this information is not usually available in the databases used in pharmacoepidemiologic studies. Conclusions: Based on the published pharmacoepidemiologic reports reviewed, the avoidance of diabetes as an outcome cannot be predictably achieved with precision by choice of a second- versus a first-generation antipsychotic. Risk management for new-onset diabetes requires the assessment of established risk factors such as family history, advancing age, non-white ethnicity, diet, central obesity, and level of physical activity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 478-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dávila ◽  
Marie T. Mora

Policy might partly shape the English-language acquisition of Hispanics migrating to the U.S. mainland, particularly policies related to limited-English-language disability benefits and immigration reform. Using data from the American Community Survey, we find that island-born Puerto Ricans on the U.S. mainland, as U.S. citizens, may have lower incentives to learn English than Hispanic immigrants because of their higher participation in LEP disability programs. However, among Mexican immigrants, recent immigration reform aimed at interior enforcement might have increased incentives for Mexican immigrants to learn English to reduce their probability of detection, if speaking English proxies for undocumented status.


1993 ◽  
Vol 162 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Furnham ◽  
Ying Har Li

The psychological health and adjustment to life in Britain of a sample of first- and second-generation Chinese immigrants were measured. It was predicted that problems with the English language, inadequate social support, value differences, and unfulfilled expectations would induce more symptoms of psychological distress and depression in first-generation than in second-generation Chinese immigrants. Overall psychological hearth, and hence adjustment, was good. There was evidence for language problems and unfulfilled expectations, but not social support and value differences, being linked to mental health in the second generation. Evidence linking mental health to other personal variables was found in both generations.


Author(s):  
María G. Leija ◽  
María E. Fránquiz

The impact of immigration on Latinx students and their families' lives continues to be important for understanding the need for better serving this population in schools. The qualitative case study reported in this chapter explored how a bilingual first-generation Mexican teacher, in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, drew from first- and second-generation Latinx students' and their families' lived experiential knowledge in regards to immigration throughout a literacy project. The study sought to contribute to a nuanced understanding of how culturally relevant children's literature coupled with immigrant families' stated lived experiential knowledge facilitated learning about complicated social issues such as immigration. Findings of the study show ways a teacher effectively built bridges between school and immigrant homes.


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