Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Issues of language have been and continue to be a central feature of immigrant life in America. This is arguably the case even for immigrants from English-speaking countries who first encounter the American vernacular upon arrival. Much of what we typically associate with immigrant life, including immigrant/ethnic enclaves and generational divisions within immigrant families, is in large measure attributable to language. Language has been the site of cultural as well as political battles dating back to the era of contact when, as one Native American author reminds us, English became America's “second tongue” (Spack 2002).Language is critical to the creation of individual and group subjectivity. It is through language that we construct our experience and in turn it is language that expresses and reflects that experience. Language is never merely a form of communication; it is the means through which we perceive and understand the world as well as the medium through which we present ourselves in a social context. Language defines the self and its relationship to others. As one linguist notes, “Language … is more than a tool for communication of facts between two or more persons. It is the most salient way we have of establishing and advertising our social identities … the way we use language is more complex and meaningful than any single fact about our bodies” (Lippi-Green 1997, p. ... log in or subscribe to read full text