Attitudes Toward Bilingualism In The United States
Southern Oregon University Spanish Students
Attitudes Toward Bilingualism
March 13, 2014
Majerle Reeves and Luis Ayala
Field Assignment Final Draft
The United States has become the home to a multicultural society where, according to Lopez and Gonzalez-Barrera (2013), more than 37 million people of ages 5 and older speak Spanish, making it the second most spoken language in the United States. Attitudes towards bilingualism vary among different individuals, while some believe bilingualism to be a positive quality to inhibit, others believe otherwise. This study primarily focused on the attitudes towards bilingualism of Southern Oregon University students who have taken Spanish courses at SOU, their …show more content…
In response to the question, describe your feelings towards bilingualism, there were three major common themes that were shown throughout the surveys. These main themes consisted of bilingualism being a positive quality due to greater job opportunities, being able to communicate and connect with a wider variety of people and connecting cultures, and only a select few felt negatively towards bilingualism and felt it was not useful. The ability to communicate with others who speak Spanish while having the ability to speak English and be able to communicate with the dominant English speaking portion of society was a skill set they heavily valued as noted on several surveys. Many of the students who considered themselves to be of Spanish language heritage have parents whose native language is Spanish. This could contribute to their positive outlook on bilingualism. In 78% of the Spanish heritage student responses, their feelings towards bilingualism were positive due to this reason. Our society has become very multicultural and thus being able to communicate and connect with other cultures through various languages is a necessity for many who deal with a diverse crowd. Another theme presented in response to this question was that there was a positive outlook towards bilingualism due to the greater amount of job opportunities in the work field. Alba, Logan, Lutz, and Stults (2002) agree that bilingualism brings greater benefits than monolinguals can obtain, in both the working world, and as a way of acculturation. Close to 44% of both populations surveyed had the common theme of bilingualism being positive due to greater job opportunities. The data shows that those who do not already speak Spanish or have it present in their family heritage feel that bilingualism is more
Attitudes Toward Bilingualism
March 13, 2014
Majerle Reeves and Luis Ayala
Field Assignment Final Draft
The United States has become the home to a multicultural society where, according to Lopez and Gonzalez-Barrera (2013), more than 37 million people of ages 5 and older speak Spanish, making it the second most spoken language in the United States. Attitudes towards bilingualism vary among different individuals, while some believe bilingualism to be a positive quality to inhibit, others believe otherwise. This study primarily focused on the attitudes towards bilingualism of Southern Oregon University students who have taken Spanish courses at SOU, their …show more content…
In response to the question, describe your feelings towards bilingualism, there were three major common themes that were shown throughout the surveys. These main themes consisted of bilingualism being a positive quality due to greater job opportunities, being able to communicate and connect with a wider variety of people and connecting cultures, and only a select few felt negatively towards bilingualism and felt it was not useful. The ability to communicate with others who speak Spanish while having the ability to speak English and be able to communicate with the dominant English speaking portion of society was a skill set they heavily valued as noted on several surveys. Many of the students who considered themselves to be of Spanish language heritage have parents whose native language is Spanish. This could contribute to their positive outlook on bilingualism. In 78% of the Spanish heritage student responses, their feelings towards bilingualism were positive due to this reason. Our society has become very multicultural and thus being able to communicate and connect with other cultures through various languages is a necessity for many who deal with a diverse crowd. Another theme presented in response to this question was that there was a positive outlook towards bilingualism due to the greater amount of job opportunities in the work field. Alba, Logan, Lutz, and Stults (2002) agree that bilingualism brings greater benefits than monolinguals can obtain, in both the working world, and as a way of acculturation. Close to 44% of both populations surveyed had the common theme of bilingualism being positive due to greater job opportunities. The data shows that those who do not already speak Spanish or have it present in their family heritage feel that bilingualism is more