The Prevalence of English Monolingualism and Its Association with Generational Status among Hmong Americans, 2005-2009

Using the American Community Survey's multi-year (2005-2009) Public Use Microdata Sample, we estimate the prevalence of English monolingualism and statistically analyze the association between English monolingualism and generational status within the U.S. Hmong population. Our findings show that the odds of speaking only English among the second generation is almost three times more compared to the first generation. Data from the 2009 ACS PUMS further indicate that there is a linear and positive relationship between generational status and English speaking ability. We discuss how English monolingualism, when reinforced by Hmong s age structure and immigration pattern, could impact Hmong Americans rate of household linguistic isolation and their maintenance of oral tradition.