'English in America' Highlights Unevenness in Melting Pot

New Report Examines Nationwide Differences in Acquisition of English; 'English in America' Highlights Unevenness in Melting Pot

12/6/2004 12:22:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Rob Toonkel of the U.S. English Foundation, 202-833-0100

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A new analysis of census data released today by the U.S. English Foundation demonstrates the different rates at which immigrants to the United States learn the English language. The findings of "English in America: A Study of Linguistic Integration" offer a thorough investigation of whether immigrants are living up to the twin civic ideals of acquiring English proficiency and United States citizenship.

"English in America: A Study of Linguistic Integration" studied English proficiency, naturalization rates and population size on both the national and state level for more than 50 different ancestries. Collected from Census 2000, this information provides an in-depth look at the state of new immigrant integration and assimilation.

The report reveals that:

-- 71 percent of the foreign-born speak English at least "well," as classified by the Census, but different ancestries acquire English proficiency at rates varying from nearly 100 percent to less than 50 percent.

-- A state-by-state comparison illustrates that a lack of English proficiency cannot be tied to "immigrant gateways." Newcomers in immigrant-rich California demonstrate English proficiency at roughly the same rate as those in Nebraska. New York and Indiana; Florida and Iowa are also similarly matched.

-- The current dominance of the United States foreign-born population by immigrants from a single nation is historically unprecedented. Whereas the ratio between the first and second most common immigrant nations was never higher than 1.8-to-1 from 1850 through 1970, today's margin of nearly 7-to-1 has altered the linguistic balance of the United States.

-- As with language, different ancestry groups demonstrate widely different rates of acquiring United States citizenship. When examining naturalization rates for 12 major ancestry groups, the range extends from nearly double the 25.6 percent median for all immigrants, to barely half the national rate.

"I am confident that this study is the most comprehensive look at the state of English language acquisition by immigrants to date," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English. "The study demonstrates that there is no accurate cookie-cutter description of the immigrant experience. The majority of immigrants learn English, but there are millions more who do not. I hope that this analysis will help policymakers ensure that every immigrant has the opportunity to learn our common language."

The report is available online at: http://www.usenglish.org/foundation/publications

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Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, the U.S. English Foundation is a public policy research organization dedicated to discussing, developing and disseminating information related to language policy in the United States.

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