Hmong language and cultural maintenance in Merced City, California
Author(s):
Withers, Andrea C
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
M.A.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : San Jose State University, 2003.
Pages:
262
Language:
English
Abstract:
The focus of this thesis was to ascertain whether the Hmong language and culture were shifting or were being maintained in Merced City, California. This research studied twelve Hmong individuals who represented a cross-section of the Hmong community in Merced. Qualitative data, in the form of interviews, and quantitative data, in the form of questionnaires, were collected from each participant. The results of the study showed that the Hmong population in Merced seemed to be undergoing a generational shift in their heritage language in terms of both ability and use, as well as their heritage culture in terms of both attitudes about it and participation in it. However, it was also found that the Hmong community in Merced had a system of perpetuating its language and culture in the younger generations as they grew older such that a reverse in language and cultural shift might be possible in the future.