Language maintenance and language shift among second -generation Hmong teenagers
Author(s):
Lee, Pao
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ed.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of San Francisco, 1999.
Pages:
215
Language:
English
Abstract:
Since the communists took over Southeast Asia in the spring of 1975, thousands of Hmong refugees have immigrated to the United States. While a number of studies regarding acculturation issues have been identified, no studies of the language maintenance and language shift among Hmong people in general, and teenagers in particular have been found. This study focuses on language maintenance and language shift among second generation Hmong teenagers. A survey questionnaire of fifty questions was used to obtain the data from sixty-eight second generation Hmong teenagers, thirty-six males and thirty-two females, who live in Stanislaus County, California. They were born in the United States and their ages ranged from thirteen to nineteen. In addition, ten of the sixty-eight respondents were randomly selected for one-on-one interviews on the importance of the Hmong language in the United States and its relationship to their identity. The results reveal that second generation Hmong teenagers have limited ability to understand, speak, read, write, and translate orally Hmong into English and vice-versa. Although their parents generally speak Hmong at home, respondents and their parents use English more frequently in public. When communicating with Hmong peers, the majority of respondents choose English over Hmong. The data further indicate that language maintenance and language shift among participants differ according to certain variables of age, religion, number of siblings, birth order, number of siblings born in the United States, and level of education. Overall, their level of English proficiency is better than their Hmong proficiency. The English language is evidently the dominant language. However, they acknowledge that the maintenance of Hmong is important because it is useful for communicating with Hmong elders and Hmong monolinguals, preserving the Hmong culture, and recognizing their identity as Hmong. As the second generation Hmong teenagers become more fluent in English than Hmong their native language is being lost rather than being maintained. Efforts to maintain their mother tongue in the future will depend on their desire to hold on to their native language, culture, and identity.