LITR 5731 Seminar in Multicultural Literature UHCL student sample

What do you call someone who speaks three languages?-Trilingual, How about two languages? Bilingual, of course. And one language?....American.

In class, we discussed the aspects of assimilation and the mixed status of the Mexican American immigrants.[1] My previous research into the topic focused on the effects of assimilating and becoming part of the dominant culture. As part of a continued exploration on the topic, I’ve explored the effects of not assimilating, through retention of Spanish as the primary language and living in Mexican cultural enclaves within the English dominant community. My research into the subject has turned up interesting findings. Although the intent of maintaining the Mexican identity may have been to prevent marginalization and reinforce a sense of community, social stratification seems to occur nonetheless, creating a majority and minority within the enclave immigrant community.

When immigrating to the United States, Mexicans begin their journey by developing the basis of a new home. This will involve a place to live, employment, and beginning the process for creating new social bonds in their adoptive community. Through interviews with family members, relatives in the Texas and California areas, it became apparent that a pattern of immigration existed if a person couldn’t, or didn’t, want to learn English.[2] New immigrants usually lived with Spanish-relatives in the initial 6-12 months of their stay, allowing for a new immigrant to decide if the United States was the right choice for their new life (Blank 35-36).[3] This contrasts with discussions and reading of the typical immigrant experience, as discussed in class, due to the reversible nature of the decision. Typically, European immigrants had a make or break attitude about their new American home, whereas Mexican immigrants were allowed the luxury of being able to return to Mexico fairly easily if socioeconomic failure was a threat.[4] If family was not available, the father and/or sons of the family would move to the US, with the intent of establishing an economic beachhead, finding employment while staying in hotels or private housing set up in a bunkhouse form, with numerous men working towards a common cause. Once private housing was affordable, the rest of the family would immigrate. In both cases, the need for learning English or American customs is not necessary, though helpful, and true assimilation has not begun.

The second element of establishing a home in the US would be finding employment. An immigrant’s family is important in this case as well, usually providing some contacts to help find employment (Blank 38). This new employment can lead to the beginnings of social stratification. Employment found is usually low paying and though other Spanish speakers will allow communication, language and dialect will now play a part in social acceptance. Obviously, the lack of English skills will hamper any job advancement (Blank 38). On job sites where Spanish is the dominant language, dialect will be important. Those with a more rural gasp of Spanish will find themselves discriminated against, in lieu of those with a more academic, urban speech (Valdez 9). However, in spite of discrimination, working in the United States is still possible even without the English language skills. A recent search of Craigslist’s job postings (April 21, 2010) supports this, with almost 400 jobs requiring bilingual skills, and eight jobs indicating the requirement in Spanish, and the possibility of working without knowing English.

The question then becomes, once an immigrant has shelter and employment, can the person maintain a life in the United States, without the ability to speak English. It is certainly possible. With the accessibility of Mexico, and the significant bilingual Hispanic population in the United States, individuals can live in here indefinitely. The United States creates the economic identity, while the Republic of Mexico represents the social. The border then becomes porous, and the immigrant becomes a citizen of two nations, taking what he or she needs form each.[5] Complications occur when families grow, and children reach the age of mandatory school enrollment. Other complications occur when an immigrant wants to move up in the economic ladder, as English will become a requirement to interact with individuals outside the Spanish community. This requirement can be sidestepped however, as American investors have had success in other nations utilizing translators (China, India, and the Middle East). Similar approaches have been used by China, Japan, and non-English speaking European nations.[6] It will be interesting to see if this leads to the American becoming a political, rather than geographical identity.

Blank, Susan. “Hearth and Home: The Living Arrangements of Mexican Immigrants and U. S.-Born Mexican Americans”, Sociological Forum, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Mar., 1998) Springer Publishing, pp. 35-59 <Accesed 2010 April 20 JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/stable/684924>

Gilman, Sander L. 2000. "Learning a Foreign Language in a Monolingual World." PMLA 115-5: 1032-1040. <Accessed: 2010 April 22 JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3657776>

Valdes, Guadalupe. 1997. "The Teaching of Spanish to Bilingual Spanish-speaking Students: Outstanding Issues and Unanswered Questions." In M. Cecilia Colombi and Francisco X. Alarcón, eds. La enseiianza del espafol a hispanohablantes: Praxis y teoria. 8-44.

Interviews were also used from April 20-23, 2010 regarding the topic of immigration.

[1] 3c. Mexican American narrative: “The Ambivalent Minority”
("Ambivalent" means having "mixed feelings" or contradictory attitudes. Mexican Americans may exemplify immigrant culture as individuals or families who come to America for economic gain but suffer social dislocation. On the other hand, much of Mexico's historic experience with the USA resembles the experience of the Native Americans: much of the United States, including Texas, was once Mexico. Does a Mexican who moves from Juarez to El Paso truly immigrate?)

[2] Interviews involved face to face qualitative interviews with family members that were 1^st generation immigrants, both in a face to face fashion in Houston and San Marcos, as well as by phone in San Diego and San Bernadino, California.

[3] 6a. Generally speaking, minority groups place more emphasis on “traditional” or “community” aspects of human society, such as extended families or alternative families, and they mistrust “institutions.” The dominant culture celebrates individuals and nuclear families and identifies more with dominant-cultural institutions or its representatives, like law enforcement officers, teachers, bureaucrats, etc. (Much variation, though.)

[4] 3c. Mexican American narrative”The Ambivalent Minority”-a solid example of this point

[5] 6b. To question sacred modern concepts like "individuality" and "rights" and politically correct ideas like minorities as "victims"; to explore emerging postmodern identities, e. g. “biracial,” “global,” and “post-national.”

[6] 7b. To observe shifting names or identities of the dominant culture in relation to different minority cultures: