scholarly journals Is there a bilingual advantage? the effects of non-English language skills on occupational attainment among immigrants and natives

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep Ubalde ◽  
Josiah Heyman
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Occupational Attainment ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
English Language Fluency

Abstract There is a considerable number of studies that analyze the benefits of language(s) in the labor market. It is a sensitive topic because of its relevance for language maintenance, and therefore, for the selective acculturation of immigrants in host societies. In this paper, the effect of non-English language fluency on the occupational attainment of immigrants and natives is analyzed, both in terms of occupational wages and socio-economic status. Results indicate that there is no advantage associated with non-English language fluency, either for natives or immigrants. Rather, a penalty for the specific case of Spanish fluency among immigrants was found. Three explanations from previous literature regarding the benefits of bilingualism in the labor market – human capital, devaluation and discrimination— are discussed in relation to the obtained results. The paper concludes with some recommendations about the recognition of language diversity in the labor market and policies aimed at the integrative acculturation of immigrants.

Restoring Official Bilingualism

2020 ◽  
pp. 123-136
Author(s):  
Amílcar Antonio Barreto
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
English Only ◽  
Clear Sign ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Status ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Language Law ◽  
English Language Fluency

While the PPD methodically debated the pros and cons of official unilingualism their PNP rivals, who won the 1992 elections, restored bilingualism within weeks of taking office. The PNP’s rush became apparent when Gov. Pedro Rosselló announced the promotion of a new status plebiscite. As Congress took up the status question in 1993, PNP delegates flashed the new language law as a clear sign of loyalty to the US. That move failed to sway many federal lawmakers who repeatedly brought up the connection between the Spanish language and Puerto Rican identity, along with the low rates of English-language fluency on the island. At this juncture English-language activists from the US mainland began interjecting themselves in the island’s status debates during the English-only movement, reiterating the tight bonds between American-ness and the de facto US vernacular. Although out of office, Commonwealth supporters won the 1993 status plebiscite.

Sociolinguistic Factors Influencing English Language Learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 403-424
Author(s):  
Jon Bakos
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
Language Variation And Change ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Contemporary Work

This chapter examines processes of language variation and change that take place in all languages, with a focus on English. Sociolinguists have observed that demographic and social variables such as where someone is born, their age, gender, and socio-economic status can be relevant to how they speak. However, contemporary work indicates that there is more to how someone speaks than a few checkboxes on a survey. Who does a speaker feel empathy with and want to emulate? How does a multi-faceted sense of personal identity affect how a person speaks? How might a second language (L2) learner's sense of belonging affect their own realization of English? These are some of the questions that this chapter seeks to address.

Rooted Men

2019 ◽  
pp. 159-176
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Sallaz
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Call Center ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
English Language Fluency ◽  
Do So ◽  
Male Workers

Straight Filipino men are underrepresented (at approximately 15%) in the call center labor force. Gendered norms about Filipino masculinity, this chapter argues, have established English-language fluency as a feminine, or even gay, trait. “Real men,” so to speak, work with their hands and bodies rather than with their voices. Still, many Filipino men do pursue and obtain call center jobs. They do so as means by which to establish roots in the Philippines rather than migrate abroad. To work in the industry, however, straight men must be able to deflect various challenges to their masculinity. Case studies of male workers are used to illustrate this dynamic.

scholarly journals Analysis of Socio-Economic Status and Gender Related Differential Item Functioning Using Item Response Theory Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 42-55
Author(s):  
Stella Eteng-Uket
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Item Response ◽  
English Language ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Objective Test ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Research Questions

The study investigated detecting differential item functioning using item response theory in West African Senior School Certificate English language test in south-south Nigeria. 2 research questions were formulated to guide the study. Using descriptive research survey design for the study, study population was 117845 Senior Secondary 3 students in Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa state. A sample of 1309 (604 males, 705 females) drawn through multi stage sampling technique was used for the study. Two valid instruments titled: Socio-economic status questionnaire (SSQ) and WASSCE/SSCE English language objective test (ELOT) were used to collect data for the study. The reliability indices of the instruments were estimated using the Cronbach Alpha method of internal consistency and Richard Kuderson 20 with coefficient values of .84 for the English Language objective test and .71 for the socio-economic status questionnaire respectively. Chi-square and Lord Wald test statistics statistical technique employed by Item Response Theory for Patient Reported Outcome (IRTPRO) was the technique used in data analysis which provided answers to the research questions at.05 level of significance. On analysis, the result revealed that 13 items functioned differently significant between the male and female group and significantly 23 items differentially functioned between High and low socio-economic status group. Thus, this shows 18% DIF based on gender and 32% based on socio-economic status indicating large DIF and items that are potentially biased. Based on the findings, recommendation were made and one among others was that Item Response theory should be used as DIF detection method by large scale public examination and test developers.

scholarly journals impact of the socio-economic status on the German receptive noun and verb vocabulary in simultaneous bilingual children with Russian and Turkish as heritage languages

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 76-88
Author(s):  
Maria Antonietta Osso
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
American English ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Positive Relation ◽  
Common Pattern ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Language Groups

A growing body of evidence shows a positive relation between the language skills of a child and the socio-economic status (SES) of his/her parents. These studies have mainly been conducted in an American English monolingual context. The current paper addresses the question of whether SES has a comparable impact on the simultaneous bilingual language acquisition. In this study, noun and verb test scores of German simultaneous bilingual children with Turkish and Russian as heritage languages are related to the SES of their parents – to verify the existence and the nature of a common pattern. The results do not show common patterns across the two heritage language groups, suggesting the existence of other confounding factors.  

scholarly journals The Effect of Local Arabic Dialects on Learning English Language Pronunciation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed Abd Elwahab
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
Linguistic Differences ◽  
The World ◽  
Verbal Behaviors ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
English Language Fluency

Due to the variety of their local dialects and accents, Arab learners occasionally face some problems when pronouncing English letters and phonemes. These pronunciation errors are caused by the influence of native language interference. Each language in any part of the world has its linguistic characteristics and rules that control their pronunciation and even word-formation process, which distinguishes them from those of other nations. Modern linguists described this phenomenon as verbal behaviors because, by the end of a special stage of a child’s growth, it becomes as constant customs. As a consequence, generations inherit these verbal qualities from their ancient without having any choices to make a linguistic formation in particular. As they work to develop their English language fluency, Arabic ESL students, for instance, face several pronunciation difficulties such as adding or replacing new phonemes that do not exist in the target language. The linguistic differences between Arabic and English usually have a crucial impact on how simply a learner can study to form the English letter sounds.

scholarly journals SELF CONCEPT, PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Haruna Sani Aliero
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
School Students ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Senior Secondary

 The main thrust of the paper is to determine if there is any significant difference between socio – economic status, self-concept and academic performance of SS1 students in Kebbi State. The sample was made up of 360 (180 boys and 180 girls) drawn from the population of senior secondary school one (S.S.I) from six Senior Secondary Schools in Kebbi State. Akinboye’s Adolescent Personal Data Inventory (APDI) by Akinboye (1985) and the Adopted version of Parental Socio- Economic Status Questionnaire (PSESQ) by Adegoke (1987) were used to measure Self-concept and Parental Socio-economic Status respectively. The reliability coefficient of the instruments was (0.85 and 0.79) for APDI and (0.82 and 0.78) for PSESQ respectively. Academic Performance was obtained using the students’ scores in English Language and Mathematics in the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination of 2015/2016 session. Two hypotheses were generated and tested using t- test. The findings of the study indicated that there was significant difference between Parental Socio-economic Status and Academic Achievement. There was also significant difference between Self-concept and Academic Performance of students. The findings were discussed and their implications and recommendations highlighted. It was recommended that teaching became more meaningful when pupils are assisted to build a positive self-concept. Similarly, parents should show more concern in helping their children develop positive self-concept. Teachers should also take into consideration the socio-economic background of their students.

scholarly journals New Migration Motives and New Settlement Challenges: Integration Experience of Korean Immigrants in the Toronto CMA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byung Chun Oh
Keyword(s):  
Social Transformation ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Korean Immigrants ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Global Migration ◽  
Socio Economic Status

This paper explores the migration motives and the integration experiences of recent Korean immigrants in the Toronto CMA, who are significantly different from their previous cohorts in terms of migration motives, socio-economic status, and settlement experiences. These differences can be attributed to changes in social transformation and economic development in Korea as well as to accelerated globalization and global migration trends. Recent Korean immigrants are characterized as middle-income earners who possess higher levels of education, skills, and wealth, with a strong desire to educate their children in developed Western countries where English is an official language. Despite recent Korean immigrants' increased human capital, their labour market integration has experienced great difficulties mainly due to a lack of Canadian official language skills. In addition, since the end of the twentieth Century, Korean migrants have increasingly been choosing Canada over the United States as their destination of migration. This shift indicates that Koreans are looking for new answers in search of better lives for their futures.

‘Brains, means, lyrical ammunition’: hip-hop and socio-racial agency among African Students in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Popular Music ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Helbig
Keyword(s):  
Hip Hop ◽  
English Language ◽  
Black Identity ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
African Students ◽  
Public Opinions ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
The Us ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Musical Elements

AbstractIn the last decade, multi-racial hip-hop scenes in Kharkiv, a predominantly Russian-speaking eastern Ukrainian city close to the Russian border, have fostered the development of socially-conscious hip-hop among African students. Drawing on musical elements from their respective home countries, the US and local hip-hop traditions, African male youths use Ukrainian-, Russian- and English-language lyrics to express concerns about socio-economic status, personal struggle and racial inclusion. This study analyses how African musicians use hip-hop as a social means through which to fight the escalating violence against dark-skinned foreigners and migrants. It draws on ethnographic data to identify several ways in which African-performed hip-hop has influenced contemporary public opinions regarding ‘black’ identity in eastern Ukraine.

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