Language and Capital: Socioeconomic Status and Female Migrants’ Spanish and English Language Use and Attitudes

Authors

Patricia MacGregor-Mendoza, New Mexico State UniversityFollow

Abstract

The use of Spanish and English and the attitudes held toward both languages in migrant communities provide insight into the tension between the new arrivals’ desire to retain cultural and linguistic ties to their homeland and their desire to assimilate to the language and culture of their new home. The immigration stream from Mexico, the origin of the largest number of US migrants, has diversified socioeconomically over the last few decades, however, the sociolinguistic research has not reflected this change. The present study examines the similarities and differences in the language use and attitudes of female migrants from Mexico that belong to two distinct socioeconomic backgrounds.

Recommended Citation

MacGregor-Mendoza, Patricia (2024) "Language and Capital: Socioeconomic Status and Female Migrants’ Spanish and English Language Use and Attitudes," International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest: Vol. 42: No. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/ijlasw/vol42/iss1/5