Linguistic adaptation, English instruction, and the second generation Latino immigrant
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linguistics
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published 30/07/2008
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SummarySince colonial times, the U.S. has been a nation both divided and united by its ethnic and linguistic diversity. Benjamin Franklin himself regarded the German minority of Pennsylvania as linguistically and racially inferior, yet also printed the first German newspaper in Philadelphia (Baron, 1990). Today, our country prides itself in being a so-called “melting pot” of world cultures, and in fact has no official language (Adams, 1990). Yet, somehow the broad, unwritten consensus has always been that English is the language necessary to succeed, and indeed, immigrants from all over the globe have often been motivated to quickly learn English for their own survival here. Social scientists and policymakers are more attuned to needs of linguistic minorities than ever before, and have implemented various strategies to encourage a shift towards the English language for the sake of economic incorporation. The relatively recent rise in bilingual education programs is just one example that reflects the new trend towards pluralism, a model for ethnic relations in which different groups maintain separate cultures and identities, but share equally in rights, liberties, and economic opportunities. Today’s Hispanic immigrant youth are the largest test subjects of such pluralist experimentation, and are widely enrolled in bilingual education programs that have been hotly debated. Before explaining why and how Hispanic immigrant youth learn English though, this essay will discuss precisely who Hispanics are, what unique conditions they face today, how language fits into a pertinent model of assimilation, and the salience of language in ethnic identity. With this framework in place, I will argue that today’s pluralist, or “additive bilingualism,” approaches to encouraging English comprehension among Hispanic immigrant youth are far better than monolinguistic, “subtractive bilingualism,” or English “immersion” programs that aim to promote English use at the expense of the Hispanic mother-tongue.
Table of Contents
- Defining in particular who Hispanics are.
- The debate on bilingual education and the assumption on acculturation in today's immigrants.
- Advancing the quest for a better understanding.
- The importance of understanding of English.
- Arguments of critics of additive bilingualism.
- Contest between additive and subtractive programs revolving around questions of social and cultural unity.
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