Parent Socialization and Multilingualism Among Mexican Indigenous Students in the United States

• In Event: Indigenous Mexican Families and U.S. Schools

Abstract

Summary
Indigenous Mexican immigrants in the U.S. speak one or more of the 68 identified indigenous languages spoken in Mexico (Poole, 2004). They have faced centuries of social and political marginalization in Mexico that is reproduced within Mexican immigrant communities in the U.S. (Stephen, 2007). Despite their growing presence in the U.S., few studies have examined the multilingualism of indigenous Mexican parents or language socialization with their children. Building on our previous research with indigenous adolescents (Author et al., 2016; Authors, forthcoming), this study examined the linguistic socialization practices of indigenous Mexican parents that may include up to three languages.

The analytical framework for the study is sociocultural socialization theory, which argues that the process of acquiring language is intricately linked to the construction of social roles, cultural affiliations, beliefs, values, and behavioral practices (Parke & Buriel, 2008; Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986). As indigenous children learn language through their involvement in social interactions, particularly within family contexts, they construct the identities, beliefs, and practices of their communities, which in many cases vary markedly from those of mainstream communities (Mendoza-Denton, 2008).

Our previous research suggests that even in the context of widespread linguistic stigmatization, indigenous youth who are supported by parents and peers display an impressive array of language learning that is not often recognized by the school system (Author et al., 2016). While some express language shame and ambivalence, others find formal and informal ways to maintain fluency in three languages. While ambivalence is at the center of indigenous youth language ideologies, it can change over time from negative to positive resulting in reactivation of passive linguistic knowledge (Messing, 2013; Wilson & Kaman, 2013).

To better understand the relationship between parental language socialization practices and the process of shifting individual language ideologies of indigenous youths we collected survey data from 103 Mexican indigenous young adults and their parents in Southern California. Participants were invited to participate in the study through announcements and flyers that were passed out at several indigenous cultural and religious events. Participant-driven sampling was also used. The survey instrument includes various measures of parent socialization, multilingual practices and linguistic proficiency, ethnic identity, parental/child relationship, as well as demographic and family composition characteristics.

For our analyses, we compared two types of households, those with children that had high indigenous language proficiency and those that had children with low levels of indigenous language proficiency. Findings suggest that female students are more likely to develop high indigenous language proficiency. The children of parents that report higher levels of parental indigenous cultural socialization reported higher indigenous language proficiency, indigenous ethnic identity, and indigenous peer friendships. Higher indigenous language proficiency among parents was also associated with higher indigenous language proficiency among their children. Youth from households with high parental indigenous socialization were more likely to indicate that they were motivated to do well in school to counter negative stereotypes about their academic ability.

We conclude by highlighting the importance of parent-school partnerships to facilitate indigenous language learning and cultural transmission.

Authors

• William Perez, Claremont University - Claremont Graduate University

• Rafael Vasquez, University of California - Davis