论文.docx

论文.docx

《论文.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《论文.docx（16页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

论文

ChapteroneIntroduction

America,whichisacountryconsistedofmanyimmigrants,isfullofvariouslanguages,cultures,valuesandsoon.However,withtheEnglishMovementsmovingforward,assimilationgraduallybecomesahotspotinAmericansociety.SomescholarseventhinkthatthechangeofAmericanlanguagepolicywillinfluencethedevelopmentofAmericanimmigrantculture,especiallythevalue.SounifyinglanguagehasaffectedAmericanimmigrantculturemore.Inthischapter,theauthorwillintroducethebackgroundandthesignificanceofthisresearch.

WiththedeeperunderstandingofAmericanlanguage’spolicystudy,sociologisttendstotheimplicationoftheEnglishOnlyMovements.Thecontentofitcanbedividedintotwoparts:

oneistolegislateforEnglishastheofficiallanguage.TheotheristolegislateforEnglishastheonlylanguageinAmerica.Fromtheofficiallanguagetotheonlylanguage,Americanlanguagefinallyisassimilated.TheassimilatingoflanguagehasgivenenlightenmenttoSociologist.Duetothecloserrelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture,theassimilationofAmericanimmigrantculturebecomesahotpotamongthem.SomescholarseventrytolookforthereasonswhichleadtounifyAmericanlanguage.Americanimmigrantculturevaluecrashesintotheireyes.Inonesliceoftime,debatecan’tbeintermittent.However,thepositionofAmericandominantculturecan’tbeshook.ThereisnodoubtthatthenewimmigrantsenrichAmericanculture,buttheycan’tchangethepatternofAmericansocietyandcan’tformthenewpatternandnationality.SotheassimilationoflanguageisjustthesuperficialphenomenonoftheassimilationofAmericanimmigrantculture.

Languageisthecarrierofculture.Languageisalsotheacceptanceandsymbolofnationalidentity.ThesocialanthropologistMalinowskioncesaidthatlanguageisthespiritofanationality.ForAmericafilledwithimmigrantsfrommanycountries,languageisparticularlyimportant.From1980to2001,withthedevelopmentoftheEnglishOnlyMovements,Bilingualeducationisabolishedandistakenplacebymonolingualeducation,whichmeansAmericanimmigrantlanguageisassimilated.Inotherwords,theirownlanguagemaydisappearnosooner.Withthedisappearanceoflanguage,whataregonewitharethenationalspecialcognitiveapproach,cognitiveorigin,culturalcharacteristics,wordviewandvalue.Allofthese,whatismoreimportantistheimmigrantvalue,whichcanaffectimmigrants’behaviors.SoAmericanimmigrantculturewillbeassimilatedinashorttime.ThepaperaimsatanalyzingtheAmericanimmigrantculturefromAmericanlanguagepolicy,analyzingtheassimilationofAmericanimmigrantfromtheEnglishOnlyMovements.

Fromtheangleofimmigrantfamilies,assimilationcanremovetheconflictsbetweenparentsandchildren.Inafamily,ifparentsareimmigrantsandtheirchildrenareborninAmerica.Insomeway,theirchildrenareAmerican.It’stheAmericaneducationthatthechildrenreceiveandtheculturetheyacceptisAmericandominantculture（WASP）.Ifparentsstillreservetheirownculture,conflictsbetweenparentscan’tbeavoided.Besides,assimilatingimmigrantscanhelpthemintegrateintoAmericansocietymorequickly.What’smore,assimilatingAmericanimmigrantcultureisconductiveforthedevelopmentofAmericanpoliticsandeconomy.UnifyingAmericanimmigrantculturevaluecanleadtoAmericanconsistentworldviewandviewoflife,whichcanavoidconflictsfromvariousnations.UnifyingAmericanimmigrantreligiousbeliefwhichisAmericannationalideologycancontributetopoliticlife.

ChapterTwoLiteratureReview

Beforestartingwritingthispaper,theauthorhascollectedapileofbooksaboutassimilation;alsotheauthorhascollectedsomuchinformationinCNKI.Therefore,theauthorhasageneralknowledgeofassimilation’sconnotationandAmericanlanguagepolicy’shistory.

2.1Relatedresearchesonassimilationataboard

AssimilationfirstappearsinaletterfromafarmerwrittenbyLeif.Heusedtheword-“thenewpeople”embodyassimilation.Inthelate1900s,theAmericandistinguishedhistorianTenacanhadgivenhisapprovalforLeif’sidea,buthethoughtwhatAmericahadfusedis“amixedrace”.Intheearly2000s,JewishwriterIsraelZengerwellputforwardthatAmericaisthesmelterofthegodinhisworks--smelter.ItisagreatsmelterwhichhaschangedEuropeanvariousraces.Theconceptof“smelterhaspushedforwardwithassimilation.In1920s,themovementscalledahundredofAmericansocializedtheconceptofassimilation.In1960s,assimilationreferstovariousracesinAmericaadjustedthemselvestoacceptculturewhichregardedAnglo-Saxonasthecenter.SociologistGordonin1964inthe"assimilationofAmericanlife:

race,religiousbeliefsandtheroleoftheoriginalethnic"dividedassimilationintoseveralparts:

cultural,structural,marital,identity,attitudeacceptance,behavioralacceptance,andsecularfromthechangeofAmericanimmigrantsocietyfamilyevolution.GeorgeEatonSimpsondefiniteassimilationinits"nationalassimilation"thatitisaprocessthatpeoplewhosebackgroundsaredifferentliveinabiggercommunity,inwhichpeoplegetridoftheirintrinsicbackgroundandcultureandcommunicatewitheachother.Therearealsoresearcherswhothoughtthatassimilationistoleteachimmigrantapproveofimmigrant-acceptingsocialvauleandculturalpatternwithdiversifiedmethods.Meanwhile,theimmigrantsshouldgiveuptheirsenseofidentitytowardsowncountry’sculture.

Therearefewresearchesaboutassimilationinourcountries.HuangYaoqungaveasimpleintroductiontotheexperienceandtheenvironmentofAmericanracesandthecharacterofculturein“UndertheFurnaceFlame-----Americanimmigrants,nationandraces”.AndhealsomadecommentsontheUnitStatenation’sconcept,theprocessofformationandcharacters.DengShusheng,intheAmericanDreams-AmericanImmigrationCourseandEthnicContradictionmakeresearchesonimmigrants,Americansocietytransition,andthechangeofAmericanimmigrantpolicyandthehistoricaldestinyofminorities.

2.2TheEnglishOnlyMovementsRelatedResearchesathomeandaboard

Language,asthebasicwaysofcommunicating,isalwaysthehotspotamongAmericanscholars.TherearealsomanyvariousopinionsaboutwhetheradaptsBilingualEducationorEnglishOnlyEducation.AmericandistinguishedhistorianArthurMeierSchlesingerJr.ofthetimethinkthatAmericaisacountrywithmanynations,theonlywaytolinkthemtogetheristhecommonlanguage.In1997,Americanbillionaire·K·AngzeinSiliconValleyorganizedagroupnamed“Englishforthechildren”inCalifornia,aimingatabolishingBilingualEducation.Inordertoachievetheaim,theyalsodraftedproposition227.

ThereisalonghistoryoftheEnglishOnlyidentification.Inthe"BibleGenesis”,theTowerofBabelstoryliterallyexplainsthereasonofvariouslanguagesinhumansociety,italsoexplainsakindofconcept:

Atthebeginningoflife,usingonlylanguageisbetter,variouslanguagesmeanworse,whichwasthepunishmenttohumansfromtheGod.Asweallknow,BiblehasagreatinfluenceonEuropeansociety.Soatthebeginning,Europeanlanguageculturebelievedinmonolingualtraditionandthoughtonlyonelanguageisgood.Infact,thetraditionisakindofideologywhichhasagreatpowerandisthecenterofEuropeanlanguagecultureview.

Inagesofcolonialismandearlynationalism,thereweremanypeoplewhosupportthemonolingualsocialistsuchasBenjaminFranklinandNoahWebster.Theystandfortheearlynativists’thoughts.Facingthedisorderedsituationwherelanguagesweremixed,JohnAdamswasworried.In1780,heproposedtotheCongresstoestablishanAmericanlanguagestudysothatitcanperfect,correctandpromoteEnglish.JohnJay（1745-1832）alsoexpressedhiswishesofunifyinglanguagesinthe"FederalistsCollection”,thelanguagehereferredabsolutelyisEnglish.NativistsregardedleaningEnglishasasymbolofpatriotism,andisalsoanimportantpartofAmericanization.AndsayingEnglishmeansAmerica.Inearly1800sand1900s,thenativistssucceededinmakingEnglishasoneofthenecessaryconditionsforcitizenshiptobecomecitizens.DuringtheFirstWorldWar,EnglishisamajorpartoftheAmericanmovementofthousandsofnewimmigrants（McClymer,1982）.Peoplewhosaidotherlanguageshadtoyieldtothistendency.

ChapterThreeTheRelationshipBetweenEnglishandImmigrantCultureContributestoAssimilation

Inlastchapter,theauthorgivesageneralunderstandingofassimilation’sandtheEnglishMovement’sconcept.Thatishelpfulforlearnerstolearntheirrelationshipsinchapter3.Thereisnodoubtthatrelationshipisimportantfortwomattersthatcanaffecteachother,becausewithoutthat,weshouldn’thaveanalyzedclearly.Thereisnoexceptiontotheirrelationships,forthereasondifferentpeoplehavedifferentidea.Accordingtotheirstresspoints,theauthordiscussesasfollowed.

3.1ThefunctionandroleofEnglish

Languageisnotonlytheimportantcommunicatetoolsforhumanbeingbutalsoisthemaincognitivechannel.Itsimportancealsoembodiesinitsrelationswithnations.Languageisnotonlythecarrierofculturebutalsoisthesurvivalanddevelopmentpowerofculture.Besidesit’sthefundamentalcharacterofanation,it’salsoalifelineofanation.Meanwhileithastheabilitytoassimilateandunifysociety.In1998,the"officialmovementofEnglish"highlightedtheimportanceoflanguageinthenationandculture.Also,itpromptedustoreflectonthelanguageofsocialunityandassimilationfunction.

Following,theauthorwillanalyzethefunctionofEnglish