Language maintenance and shift in a Vietnamese refugee community: A study of attitudes and behaviors. (Volumes I and II)

Members of the Vietnamese community in the Washington D.C. area are currently confronted by choices in language behavior. The outcomes of these choices will determine whether the Vietnamese language will be maintained or whether a shift to English monolingualism will occur. This research demonstrates patterns of language attitudes and use which indicate that Vietnamese language maintenance is threatened.;The results indicate significant differences between older and younger Vietnamese in English and Vietnamese proficiency, language choices at home and among peers, and reading and writing behaviors in Vietnamese. Length of residency demonstrates significant effects on language proficiency and language behaviors. Among teenagers and those who left Vietnam as children, English is increasing in dominance and Vietnamese proficiency and use are declining.;Attitude measures indicate widespread support for the ideals of language maintenance. However, the decline in Vietnamese use and the frequencies of reported efforts to maintain Vietnamese among children are not consistent with these attitude measures. There are few significant differences between older and younger subjects in their attitudes toward language maintenance.;The attitude measures related to ethnicity and language and to perceived ethnic separateness demonstrate significant differences according to age. Older subjects report attitudes which strongly link Vietnamese language with ethnic identity; younger subjects do so less frequently. Attitudes of younger subjects concerning ethnic separateness indicate fewer perceived distinctions between the Vietnamese and the linguistic and cultural mainstream. These attitudes are consistent with the reported patterns of increased use of English among the young.;Three major types of data collection have been utilized: interviews, written questionnaires, and observation. The interviews and observations generated hypotheses which were tested by the questionnaire data. Age and length of U.S. residency are the major independent variables used in data analysis.;These results are evaluated in light of the current literature on language maintenance and shift, particularly focusing on theories of ethnolinguistic vitality. A future shift to English monolingualism is predicted.