English Language Proficiency of Immigrants and Refugees in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area
Author(s):
Fennelly, Katherine; Palasz, Nicole
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
International Migration, Volume 41, Issue 5 (2003). pp. 93-125.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Studies of the determinants of English language ability have generally focused on the largest immigrant groups in the US. Much less is known about smaller, but significant, regional concentrations of immigrants & refugees. This article presents data on four very distinct & understudied groups: Russians, Somalis, Hmong, & Mexicans in the Midwest. We found large differences in English language proficiency across the different national origin groups, even after controlling for background variables. These differences were not attributable to refugee status or to linguistic distance from English. Being Somali, migrating to the US at a young age, & having a college diploma were the best predictors of both spoken & written proficiency. The returns to higher education were particularly noteworthy - respondents with college diplomas were more than 29 times more likely than non-high school graduates to speak English well, & more than 20 times as likely to read well. Women appear to have benefited more than men from completing college in terms of spoken English proficiency since the male-female gap narrows among the highly educated. Length of time in the US was a good predictor of whether an individual speaks English at home, regardless of age of entry to the country. 12 Tables, 1 Figure, 35 References. Adapted from the source document