Between Two Generations: Language Maintenance and Acculturation Among Chinese Immigrant Families (The New Americans: Recent Immigration and American Society)

276 Pages·2008·1.1 MB·English

by  Donghui Zhang

The New Americans
Recent Immigration and American Society

Edited by
Steven J. Gold and Rubén G. Rumbaut

A Series from LFB Scholarly
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Between Two Generations
Language Maintenance and Acculturation
among Chinese Immigrant Families

Donghui Zhang

LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC
El Paso 2008
Copyright © 2008 by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Zhang, Donghui, 1976-
Between two generations : language maintenance and acculturation
among Chinese immigrant families / Donghui Zhang.
p. cm. -- (The new Americans : recent immigration and American
society)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59332-271-7 (alk. paper)
1. Chinese Americans--Cultural assimilation. 2. Chinese Americans--
Languages. 3. Americanization. I. Title.
E184.C5Z43 2008
305.8951073--dc22

2008024655

ISBN 978-1-59332-271-7

Printed on acid-free 250-year-life paper.

Manufactured in the United States of America.
In dedication to my dear Chinese friends in Philadelphia,
whose love and support had made my journey in the US so enriching
and enjoyable,
and who had helped me so much in coming to self-realization
by sharing their world with me.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables ix
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgements xi
Preface xii

Introduction 1
Immigration, Language and Acculturation 1
Understanding Language Maintenance within the
Context of Acculturation 3
Organization of the Book 5

1. Language Maintenance, Language Shift and
Acculturation 9
Heritage Language Maintenance and Language Shift 9
Heritage Language Maintenance and Models of Acculturation 12
Heritage Language Maintenance in the
Three Domains of Acculturation 20
Chinese as a Heritage Language in the US 28

2. The Socio-cultural Context: Chinese Immigrants
in the US and in Philadelphia 31
Chinese Immigration in the US 31
The Profile of the Chinese Population in the US 36
The Chinese Communities in Philadelphia 42

3. Access, Research Relationships and Ethics 49
Access, Power Relations and Subjectivity 50
Research Sites(cid:1)Two Chinese Communities
in Philadelphia 56
Data Collection and Data Analysis 60
Ethical Issues 66

4. Encountering Two Languages: Varied
Bilingualism 69
Parents’ Bilingual Proficiency 70
vii
viii Table of Contents

Children’s Language Struggles 78
Language Shift and Preference from an Early Age 85
Unbalanced Bilingualism and Biliteracy 92
Summary 98

5. Language Attitudes and Heritage Language
Maintenance 103
Parents’ Language Attitudes 103
Parents’ Language Maintenance Efforts 116
Children’s Attitudes towards Learning Chinese 121
Summary 127

6. Language Maintenance and Cultural
Participation 129
Home Culture Participation and Transmission 130
Generational Dissonance in Acculturation 143
Children as Language and Cultural Brokers 156
The Mediating Role of Heritage Language 164
Summary 168

7. Language Maintenance: A Social
Network Perspective 171
Passive Ties: Extended Family 172
Parents’ Networks: Co-Ethnic Communities
and Cross-Ethnic Ties 183
Children’s Networks: Co-Ethnic and Cross-Ethnic Peers 191
Chinese Language Schools 198
Summary 209

8. Policy and Beyond 213
The Study 213
Policy Implications 220
Directions for Future Research 228

Appendix 1: Interview Protocols 231
2: Consent Form 239

References 243
Index 255
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Berry’s Two-Culture Matrix 14
Table 2: LaFromboise et al’s Typology(cid:1)Socio-Political
Structures and Acculturation Outcomes 14
Table 3: Generational Language knowledge
and Types of Acculturation 19
Table 4: Language Attitudes 21
Table 5: Asian American Population: 1980, 1990, and 2000 37
Table 6: Top Ten States with the Largest Chinese Population 40
Table 7: Top Ten Cities with the largest Asian Population 41
Table 8: The Asian and Chinese Population
in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia 42
Table 9: Summary of Child Participants 61
Table 10: Summary of Parent Participants 62

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Asian Groups by Ethnicity 2000 37
Figure 2: The Growth of the Chinese Population
from 1980 to 2000 38

ix