| Abstract: | Using data from the 1976 Survey of Income and Education, this article examines the language shift process of 3455 persons of Spanish mother tongue who were not born in the US. Findings show that 1) nearly 1/3 of the Spanish language immigrants arrive in the US in their middle teens to their early 20s, over 20% arrive before age 10, and less than 20% arrive after age 35; 2) the longer the length of stay, the more extensive the adoption of the English language; 3) the process of anglicization begins soon after arrival (within 18 months, 6.6% had made English their usual personal language); 4) some who had arrived before 1970 had become English monolinguals; 5) 20% of each immigrant group will remain essentially monolingual in Spanish, even after prolonged US residence; 6) the language shift process is more or less completed within about 15 years; 7) the younger the person at the time of arrival, the more extensive the shift to English; and 8) no additional language shift occurs after some 15 years of residence in the US. Approximately 80% of those aged 15-24 at time of arrival, 70% of those aged 25-34, 50% of those aged 35-44, and 30% of those aged 45 or more will come to speak English on a regular basis. Except for the oldest group, about 20% of those in each cohort will have been anglicized. Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrants have somewhat lower rates of language shift of all types to English than do Cuban, Central American, and other Hispanic immigrants. Spanish language immigrants are resisting neither the learning of English nor its adoption as a preferred usual language. However, the full impact of the anglicization occurring at any given time will not be felt until the next generation. |
