The resolution of the language question—whether to maintain the mother tongue, shift to the mainstream language, or tiy to maintain two or more languages in the family-creates a lot of psychological complications and linguistic reflections. The present book explores how external variables and internal controversies affect the choice of language by an individual family member as well as the family as a whole unit, and how this choice, in its turn, impacts the relationships within the family. This study draws on the several theoretical domains of immigration, psychology, and language acquisition. The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) data set helps to address the quantitative part of this book, while the qualitative part is based on in-depth case studies of four immigrant families.
