American, Hispanic, Spanish-Speaking? Hispanic Immigrants and the Question of Identity

ABSTRACT

This article explores Hispanics’ concepts of cultural and linguistic identity. It is based on the findings of a recent study conducted by the author in Iglesia hispana de Cristo,¹ a Hispanic church community in Western New York. Data come from ethnographic interviews conducted with 48 participants aged 13 to 80 years and with church leaders and from participant observation. Findings indicate that conceptions of identity vary according to age and generation of immigration. Older, first-generation immigrants view language and culture as inextricably linked, and believe that passing on the Spanish language to their children is an essential parenting responsibility. Younger, U.S.-born Hispanics and those who immigrated at a young age, on the other hand, tend to prioritize Hispanic culture over the Spanish language.

KEYWORDS:

• Applied sociolinguistics
• culture
• ethnography
• Hispanic immigrants
• identity
• immigration
• language
• language use and identity
• Spanish

Notes

1. Pseudonym

2. This pattern is common amongst Puerto Rican and Mexican immigrants, in particular.

3. This and all other names of cities, places, organizations, events, and people are pseudonyms.

4. Participants were classified according to Rumbaut’s (2004) scheme, based on nativity and age of arrival in the United States, as follows:

1st generation: foreign-born, age of arrival in the United States (AoA) = 18+1.25 generation: foreign-born, AoA = 13–17 years1.5 generation: foreign-born, AoA = 6–12 years1.75 generation: foreign-born, AoA = 0–5 years2nd generation: U.S.-born of foreign-born parents3rd generation: U.S.-born of U.S.-born parents and foreign-born grandparents