Literatura

The Prevalence of English Monolingualism and Its Association with Generational Status among Hmong Americans, 2005-2009 by Yang Sao Xiong and Nao Xiong, Hmong Studies Journal 12: 1-22 (2011).

The Prevalence of English Monolingualism and Its Association with Generational Status among Hmong Americans, 2005-2009 By Yang Sao Xiong, University of California, Los Angeles Nao Xiong, Utah StateUniversity Hmong Studies Journal, Volume 12, 22 Pages Abstract Using the American Community Survey‟s multi-year (2005-2009) Public Use Microdata Sample, we estimate the prevalence of English monolingualism and statistically analyze the association between English monolingualism and generational status within the U.S. Hmong population. Our findings show that the odds of speaking only English among thesecond generation is almost three times more compared to the first generation. Data from the 2009 ACS PUMS further indicate that there is a linear and positive relationship between generational status and English speaking ability. We discuss how English monolingualism, when reinforced by Hmong‟s age structure and immigration pattern, could impact Hmong Americans‟ rate of household linguisticisolation and their maintenance of oral tradition. Keywords: Hmong Americans, Generational Status, English Monolingualism, Assimilation, American Community Survey

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The Prevalence of English Monolingualism and Its Association with Generational Status among Hmong Americans, 2005-2009 by Yang Sao Xiong and Nao Xiong, Hmong Studies Journal 12: 1-22.

The Prevalence of English Monolingualism and ItsAssociation with Generational Status among Hmong Americans, 2005-20091

“(H)mong oral tradition has been for centuries the unwritten charter of their common culture, its only support for their collective memory, the treasured legacy of the successive generations” — (Lemoine 2008: 14).

In the above excerpt, Jacques Lemoine, a scholar who, for at least the last 40 years, has studied Hmong andother ethnic minorities subsumed under the China-specific Miao nationality, shares invaluable insights about Hmong oral tradition. In the same essay, Lemoine (2008) expresses, among other things, his concern about the potential loss of oral tradition (“poetry, music, and prose”) among the younger generation of Hmong, and how such a loss could lead to the loss of Hmong‟s expressive, functionalrituals of life and death. Given the centrality of oral tradition and oral history in Hmong social life, the loss of Hmong language skills could spell challenges for Hmong society in more ways than just individuals‟ inability to communicate in their native language. To begin to understand the extent of the decline in Hmong native language use, in this study, we use nationally representative data toestimate the prevalence of English monolingualism and statistically analyze the association between English monolingualism and generational status within the U.S. Hmong population.2 We hypothesize that generational status is positively related to English monolingualism. That is, we expect that individuals in the second generation would be more likely to speak only English at home compared toindividuals in the first generation. We begin by briefly reviewing recent literature on English monolingualism among immigrants. Next, we describe our data and analysis. We then present the results followed by a discussion on the implications of English monolingualism for Hmong Americans‟
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The Prevalence of English Monolingualism and Its Association with Generational Status among Hmong Americans,2005-2009 by Yang Sao Xiong and Nao Xiong, Hmong Studies Journal 12: 1-22.

rate of household linguistic isolation and maintenance of oral tradition. We conclude with some comments on the limitations of the data and suggestions for future research. Literature Review Research shows that although bilingualism is not uncommon among immigrants, a large and growing proportion of them, especially the...