Posts Tagged: biculturalism
Cultural identity and language
There is power in words. During Martin Luther King Jr. Day his “I had a dream” speech could be seen in text or video and either way was touching and very much relevant today.
![biculturalism biculturalism](http://ucanr.org/blogs/LatinoBriefs/blogfiles/10113.jpg)
Eighteen percent of Hispanics identify themselves as “completely American,” 43 percent as completely Latino, and almost four in ten (39 percent) feel they are a mix of both.
Latinos in bilingual homes are more likely to be bicultural. Four in ten Hispanics in English-oriented homes (where mostly/only English is spoken) consider themselves both Latino and American, and a full 16 percent of those heads of household define themselves as “completely Latino.”
At the same time, bicultural Latinos do not necessarily only live in bilingual homes: Almost one-quarter of bicultural Latino heads of household live in Spanish-dominant homes; one-third live in English-oriented homes.
The study also found that Latinos identifying themselves as bicultural spend the majority of their TV viewing time– 72 percent — with English language TV and 28 percent with Spanish language programming.
Source: HispanicMarketInfo.com, Cultural identity and language, January 17, 2012.
For many U.S. Latinos, biculturalism is key to self-identity
Many U.S. Hispanics feel culturally connected to both their U.S. and Latino identities, according to the annual FOCUS: Latino report.
The study finds that, when asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 whether they identified themselves as “completely Latino” or “completely American,” 18 percent of Hispanics identify themselves as “completely American,” 43 percent as completely Latino, and four in ten (39 percent) feel they are a mix of both.
These data correlate to acculturation markers like language use in the home. Latinos in bilingual homes are, concomitantly, more likely to be bicultural. Four in ten Hispanics in English-oriented homes (where mostly/only English is spoken) consider themselves both Latino and American, and a full 16 percent of those heads of household define themselves as “completely Latino.”
At the same time, bicultural Latinos do not necessarily only live in bilingual homes: Almost one-quarter of bicultural Latino heads of household live in Spanish-dominant homes; one-third live in English-oriented homes.
Source: Hispanic Market Facts/Research, New Study: Focus Latino Report Reveals That Many U.S. Latinos, Biculturalism is Key to Self-Identity, July 8, 2011.
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