The Latinos new second generation in the USA: language and integration

Résumé du document

In societies like the United States which have diverse populations, children from linguistic minority families must learn the language of the society in order to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered by society. The timing and the conditions under which they come into contact with English, however, can profoundly affect the retention and continued use of their primary languages as well as the development of their second language. An ideology that equates English mono-lingualism or speaking English as one's language of choice because of being an American citizen underlies the way languages are taught in United States schools. Bilingualism and bilingual education therefore raise issues well beyond communication and pedagogy. Schools are a primary vehicle for the transmission of culture and a sense of national identity. They also serve as the gateway to participation in the political and economic arena.

Extraits

[...] Sixty-five percent of the children in bilingual education in New York are Spanish speakers and hence have little incentive or need to use English in school. Creation of a subculture The influence of English on America Spanish is very important. In many Latino youth subcultures, it is fashionable to mix Spanish and English in various way, resulting in what is known as Spanglish. The new generation of American Latinos wants to preserve Spanish equally to learn and use the English language. Children of nonwhite immigrants may not even have the opportunity of gaining access to middle-class white society, no matter how acculturated they become. [...]

[...] The Latinos new second generation in the USA: language and integration Spanish language spreads in the United States: it is the second most common language after English. Spanish is spoken most frequently at home by about 28.1 million people aged five or over. Some people are afraid of it like the English-only movement proponents who want the English language is the official language of the United States. The new second generation, formed by children of post-1960 immigrants, represents 7.7 million, or 3.4 percent of the native-born population and of the post-1960 immigrants percent are Hispanics. [...]

[...] Not surprisingly, second generation youths are far more likely to be bilingual than their native-parentage counterparts. Less than half of the children of immigrants speak English only, and two-thirds speak a language other than English at home in contrast with the overwhelming English exclusivity among native-parentage youth. However, linguistic assimilation is evident in the fact that only 12 percent of the second generation reports speaking English poorly. The size, persistence, and concentration of Hispanic immigration tends to perpetuate the use of Spanish through successive generations. [...]

[...] As a result, second-generation Haitian children find themselves torn between conflicting ideas and values. To remain Haitian they would have to face social ostracism and continuing attacks in school; to become American they would have to forgo their parents' dreams of making it in America on the basis of ethnic solidarity and preservation of traditional values. The Latinos new second generation : a community remaining Spanish- speaking An important community There are many factors which indicate that the status of Spanish is in a healthy state. [...]

[...] Over the past five years or so, early education has been touted as the ideal solution to the academic problems of language minority students. The state of Texas led the way some years ago by passing legislation that provided preschool programs for three-year-old children from minority backgrounds. The idea behind this legislation was that the younger children are, the faster and more completely they learn a new language. At age three, the children are in language-learning mode : they learn whatever language or languages they hear. [...]