Full Citation

Title: Sociodemographic determinants of language transitions among the children of French and Spanish-Caribbean immigrants in the US

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2011

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI:

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: In this study, language transition among the children of Caribbean immigrants in the US is examined from two main perspectives. First, speeds of language transition among children in French- and Spanish-Caribbean immigrant families are compared. Second, the mediating roles of socio-demographic factors and sibling characteristics in language transition are also examined. The results reveal that, with increasing assimilation, children in French-Caribbean families experience a faster transition to English monolingualism than their counterparts with Spanish-Caribbean parents. Transition to English monolingualism is also negatively associated with the number of first-generation siblings within a household. However, increases in the number of second- and first-generation monolingual-English siblings significantly shift children's language use towards complete Anglicisation. Instructively, this impact offsets the influence which ethnically endogamous parents have on the retention of the mother-tongue within immigrant families.

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Thomas, Kevin J.A.

Periodical (Full): Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

Issue: 4

Volume: 37

Pages: 543-559

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Family and Marriage, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Migration and Immigration

Countries: