Dynamics and diversity within non -English language neighborhoods: Changes over space and time.

摘要

The linguistic composition of the United States has been changing rapidly because of the high growth in the numbers of non-English speakers in recent decades. Since language is not simply a means of communication but can be a boundary among members of diverse language groups, whether speakers of the same language live close to each other affects intergroup relations, the transmission of the language across generations, and the provision of numerous geographically based social services such as bilingual education programs and voting materials. This research, therefore, systematically investigates patterns and changes in the spatial organization of non-English language speakers using U.S. Census data from two time points, 1990 and 2000.;I use spatial analysis to identify and describe the locations and features of non-English language neighborhoods for several language groups in three major metropolitan areas: Chicago, Illinois; San Jose, California; and Atlanta, Georgia. The results first show clearly for all three metropolitan areas that Spanish-language neighborhoods are mainly located in central city, much larger in number of speakers, more linguistically saturated, and poorer than other non-English language neighborhoods. These features of Spanish-language neighborhoods are so distinctive that it seems that only Spanish neighborhoods will constitute a site for language transmission across generations. However, suburban Spanish-language neighborhoods are as socioeconomically disadvantaged as those in the central city, a finding that does not accord with the model of spatial assimilation, suggesting that these areas will face increasingly severe problems in providing social services to their constituents.;Moreover, during the 1990s, all non-English language neighborhoods (except for German- and Italian-language neighborhoods in Chicago) grew particularly in the suburbs. Moreover, contrary to the model of spatial assimilation, some of the language neighborhoods in the central city shrunk while suburban non-English language neighborhoods rapidly grew. Many of these non-English language neighborhoods overlap in geographic area with the result that many geographically bounded areas contain very linguistically diverse populations. Overall, the results suggest that the model of spatial assimilation needs to be reformulated to include cities that are experiencing major immigration for the first time, such as Atlanta.