The Language Learning Situation of Asian Immigrant Students in the U.S.: A Socio- and Psycholinguistic Perspective

Abstract

Abstract This essay delineates the nature of the language learning situation of Asian immigrant students in the United States, drawing on insights from existing socio- and psycho-linguistic literature. Using Schumann’s acculturation model of second language acquisition, the author argues that: (1) the experience of immigration has a profound effect on the social and psychological distance felt by Asian immigrant students for native English speakers in their efforts to learn English; (2) their Asian ethnicity, given the current interethnic relations in the country, further increases this distance; (3) the above mentioned factors are more significant than the students’ linguistic and cultural “baggage” in accounting for their difficulties with the English language; (4) an ambivalence-ridden “no-win” situation is created when Asian immigrant students attempt to make English their own, causing them to adopt a range of responses unproductive for language learning; (5) consequently, the language needs of Asian ...