美国华二代祖语保持的影响因子分析——基于人口普查数据的研究

Factors of Heritage Language Maintenance among the Second-generation Chinese Immigrants in the U.S.

在海外华人祖语保持影响因子的研究中,前人多采取观察和访谈等方法基于小样本进行案例研究,较少对大样本进行量化分析;在选取研究样本时,也多针对特定地域和阶层,较少对不同家庭背景对祖语保持的影响进行比较。基于美国人口普查数据,本文研究了个体特征、家庭结构、社会经济条件、同化程度等四个方面的影响因子对美国华二代祖语保持的作用。研究发现(1)祖语保持与样本年龄、出生年份、家庭中年长同辈的数量、父母受教育年限、父母在美居留时间以及父母英语水平呈负相关关系;(2)家庭人均收入和本地华语家庭占比则对祖语保持具有正面影响;(3)女性样本或生活在多代家庭中的样本有更高的祖语保持概率。本文还对上述影响因子对祖语保持的作用机制进行了分析,并据此提出对华人家庭祖语教育的建议。

In previous studies on the factors influencing the heritage language maintenance(HLM)of overseas Chinese,researchers mostly used qualitative research methods to conduct case studies on small samples,with few large-scale surveys.The selection of research samples was often focused on specific regions and classes,lacking comparative research on the influence of different family backgrounds on HLM.This study uses U.S.Census data to examine the effects of four categories of factors-personal demographics,family structure,socio-economic status,and acculturation progress-on HLM among the second-generation Chinese immigrants in the U.S.The study finds that(1)HLM had a negative correlation with age,year of birth,the number of older siblings in the family,parental years of education,parental length of stay in the U.S.and parental English language proficiency;(2)household income and the proportion of local Chinese households had a positive impact on heritage language maintenance;and(3)the probability of maintaining the use of heritage language at home is higher for female samples or those living in multigenerational households.The study also analyses the possible mechanisms by which these factors affect HLM and provides recommendations for family heritage language education.