Synthesis Essay – Ashlly's Portfolio

Feedback for Synthesis Essay

The primary changes made to my Synthesis Essay after receiving feedback were the transitions between paragraphs to the next. I made sure to draw connections between the previous source to the next source to illustrate how they correlate to my argument and build on each other. I also added multimedia sources to stand on their own without quotes from the research paper. In addition to sources, I made sure to make my argument clear when explaining my sources and fixing some citations to a source. I also made sure there were correct spellings for authors and other selling error were fixed for clarification.

First Draft: Struggle of Language, Identity & Culture for Younger-Generational Latinx in the US.

The United States is considered a high-standing country for its military, culture, economy, and influence. People migrate from one country to another due to life values, where they experience culture, shifting identities and language changes. Specifically, families from Spanish speaking countries come to the United States in search of the American dream, to have a better future for themselves and their children. The shift from one culture to another affects many individuals in not just Latinx communities but also those who have a second language at home. Because of societal pressures, specifically in an English-oriented society, maintaining the balance between heritage and societal expectations has a great influence on identity for younger generational groups. The United States should not declare English as its official language, as the enforcement of English plays a big role in the struggle for language, identity, and culture for newer Latinx generations in the United States.

James Cohen and Corrie M. Wickens, scholars at the University of Illinois, in their article Speaking English and the Loss of Heritage Language (2015), suggested that language has power and affects the identity of young students. Cohen and Wickens support their correlation by interviewing three adolescents of Mexican descent and by having primary evidence for the development of their correlation. According to Cohen and Wickens, “Immigrant students see the value placed upon English as the status language in contrast with the low-level status that their native language often holds (i.e., Spanish)” (12). Similarly, the introduction to English in American schools creates a division between Spanish, suggesting a loss of frequency for Spanish-speaking households due to the longer amounts of school hours than home hours.

Stephanie N Welsh and Erika Hoff’s article, Language exposure outside the home becomes more English-dominant (2023), asserts that environments where English is predominantly used create a large influence on a child’s primary language. They conducted a study with children from immigrant Spanish-speaking homes who have an external English environment, using a large sample size for the study to improve reliability. Welsh and Hoff back up this claim by examining 149 children being exposed to English outside the household from 30 to 60 months, while still maintaining a Spanish-speaking household. Welsh and Hoff illustrate this in the figure below:

They state, “Results revealed that English exposure during extracurricular activities and preschool increased from 30 to 60 months, and Spanish exposure from a grandparent decreased over the same time period. These results suggest that children’s out-of-home language environment becomes more English-dominant over time” (9). Welsh and Hoff’s concept that the increase in English exposure decreases the amount of Spanish learned can be applied to Cohen and Wickens’ study due to the decline in the perceived value of a native language.

Cohen and Wickens’ study illustrates a devalue of the Spanish language due to the social status, which recognizes English as the dominant language. Similarly, in Welsh and Hoff’s study, children have a decrease in Spanish outlets coming from their household due to the increase in English exposure outside the home. As a result, there is a steady shift in language use, based on the higher status that English has and social pressure present in the United States. Younger generations in the United States slowly prioritize English while simultaneously decreasing their connection to their heritage and cultural language.

This slow decrease in prioritization derives from the overall assimilation into American culture in the United States. On the official website of the United States government, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services 2025, the policy manual states that the requirements of becoming a United States citizen include English proficiency. Through this information about citizen policy and English proficiency, many younger-generational Latinx individuals have to follow strict standards for the meaning of being American. For instance, one of the educational requirements is: “English language proficiency, which is determined by the alien’s ability to read, write, speak, and understand English” (Bullet Point 1 [A]). Younger generations have to follow the narrow, idealistic, and accepted views in the United States, as they are intertwined with their knowledge of English. Based on these qualifications, there is a higher chance of assimilation, which steers them away from their heritage language, which loses its value and relevance based on this societal structure.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States as of 2025, known for his extensive policies on immigration, argues on White House Website—Presidential Actions that having one national language will provide unity in the United States and overall greater understanding and communication within the country. Trump supports his argument by describing his foresight of how the United States can undergo processes of shared culture and by claiming English is the historically governing language as used in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. President Trump affirms his policy, “To promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement, it is in America’s best interest for the Federal Government to designate one — and only one — official language” (Paragraph 4). Policies such as these place English as a dominant language, ignoring over 400 languages spoken in the United States. This is a gradual process of assimilation because the requirements of the English language often jeopardize the heritage, language, and culture of past generations.

This systemic oppression influences a majority of younger Latinx generations, and the strict definition of being “American” often coincides with the identity of many younger Latinx generations. The requirements of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services and the White House Website—Presidential Actions push towards one national language, creating pressure to learn English and ultimately disregard their native language; in other words, prioritize one over the other. These websites enforce the social pressures that younger generations should assimilate culturally and through their language. This leaves a conflict in balancing culture, identity, and social expectations in the United States for newer Latinx generations.

A scholar at the University of Colorado, Alejandra Gutierrez in her thesis, The Emotional Roller Coaster of the Heritage Speaker Experience published in 2024. Addresses the topic of the interconnection between native language and community, arguing that both of them correlate with emotion and identity. Gutierrez supports this claim by having participants within similar Latinx communities explain their experiences through firsthand accounts that displayed the causes of drifting apart from their native language. A participant claims, “It is necessary for the Latino community to understand that there is more to being a Latino than speaking Spanish, and language proficiency should not be the end all be all for claiming the identity” (48). The particular system in the United States insists that having knowledge of English over their native language creates a sense of belonging. Consequently, according to Gutierrez’s study, younger Latinx generations have felt a sense of insecurity when being associated with Spanish. This viewpoint challenges the idea that language defines identity in a society. Nevertheless, the system fabricated in the United States connects language and identity, thus young Latinx individuals feel an internal conflict with their identity.

In the research paper Mental health among Latinx emerging adults: Examining the role of familial accusations of assimilation and ethnic identity conducted and written by psychology professors in varying Universities, Carly W. Thornhill, Linda G. Castillo, et al. (2021), explored their argument of cultural expectations and language expertise in emotional affect within families. These authors support their argument through the accusations that assimilation in the United States can affect mental health in a harmful manner. According to Thornhill and Castillo et al., “Our findings support the first hypothesis that familial accusations of assimilation are significantly associated with both depression and anxiety. Our study builds upon the existing literature on the impact of intragroup marginalization on mental health” (13). The study conducted revealed that English and/or American behaviors within a family created conflict because of their lack of proficiency. The emotional burden of trying to maintain two separate languages in an English-dominant setting, younger Latinx individuals endure both internal and external conflict when trying to maintain a balance between heritage and societal pressures.

Both Guiterrz and Thornhill, and Castillo et al. studies, illustrated how language isn’t just a form of communication; it falls into a deeper connection between identity and overall approval in the United States. Guiterrz emphasized how language loss in an American society can create a sense of separation and disconnect from one’s heritage. To expand on this, Thornhill and Castillo et al. examine how the same pressures within families also generate depression and anxiety. Navigating and intertwining both languages is difficult, as they both underscore the consequences of an English-oriented society and its principles.

Language, identity, and culture are influenced by many factors. In the younger Latinx generational experience, language plays a major role. When a culturally diverse region such as the United States decides to make English its official language, its consequences jeopardize minorities’ identity. Furthermore, the influence of English proficiency for citizenship, English dominance in a classroom setting, and household pressures push Latinx youth towards conforming to one language and disregarding their cultural language. When valuing linguistics and accepting multiple identities younger generation is able to maintain their cultural honor and take part in an American society without having to suppress or abandon their roots.

Translation 2

Final Draft: Struggle of Identity for Younger-Generational Latinx in the US.

The United States is considered a high-standing country for its military, culture, economy, and influence. Specifically, families from Spanish speaking countries come to the United States in search of the American dream, to have a better future for themselves and their children. The shift from one culture to another affects many individuals in not just Latinx communities but also those who have a second language at home. Because of societal pressures, specifically in an English-oriented society, maintaining the balance between heritage and societal expectations for Latinx individuals has a great influence on identity for younger generations. The United States should not declare English as its official language, as the enforcement of English plays a big role in the struggle for language, identity, and culture for newer Latinx generations in the United States.

The division between English and Spanish is demonstrated by James Cohen and Corrie M. Wickens, scholars at the University of Illinois, in their article Speaking English and the Loss of Heritage Language (2015), which suggests that language has power and affects the identity of young students. Cohen and Wickens support their hypothesis by interviewing three adolescents of Mexican descent by drawing from their firsthand experience. According to Cohen and Wickens, “Immigrant students see the value placed upon English as the status language in contrast with the low-level status that their native language often holds (i.e., Spanish)” (12). As a result, based on the study, introducing English in American schools at a young age creates a division between Spanish and English, suggesting a loss of frequency for Spanish-speaking households due to the longer amounts of school hours than home hours.

English being seen as a dominant language overpowers Spanish, causing concern about how it can affect Latinx identity in the early years of childhood. To build off of Cohen and Wikens’ study on the effect of English Language on identity, Stephanie N Welsh and Erika Hoff’s article, Language exposure outside the home becomes more English-dominant (2023), asserts that environments where English is predominantly used have a large influence on a child’s primary language; their in-home language becomes lessened. Welsh and Hoff back up this claim by examining 149 children being exposed to English outside the household from 30 to 60 months, while still maintaining a Spanish-speaking household. Welsh and Hoff illustrate this in the figure below:

Welsh and Hoff’s concept that the increase in English exposure decreases the amount of Spanish learned can be applied to the figure above, as time in preschool increases, English increases, and as Preschool hours decrease, Spanish increases. As a result, there is a steady shift in language use, based on the higher status that English has and social pressure present in the United States at a young age. Younger generations in the United States slowly prioritize English while simultaneously decreasing their connection to their heritage and cultural language. Similarly, in Welsh and Hoff’s study, children have a decrease in Spanish outlets coming from their household due to the increase in English exposure outside the home.

This slow decrease in the Spanish language derives from the overall assimilation into American culture in the United States. On the official website of the United States government, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services 2025, the policy manual states that the requirements of becoming a United States citizen include English proficiency. For instance, one of the educational requirements is: “English language proficiency, which is determined by the alien’s ability to read, write, speak, and understand English” (Bullet Point 1 [A]). Younger generations have to follow the narrow, idealistic, and accepted views in the United States, as they are intertwined with their knowledge of English. Based on these qualifications, there is a higher chance of assimilation, which steers them away from their heritage language, which loses its value and relevance based on this societal structure.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States as of 2025, known for his extensive policies on immigration, argues on White House Website—Presidential Actions that having one national language will provide unity in the United States. Trump supports his argument by describing his foresight of how the United States can undergo processes of shared culture and by claiming English is the historically governing language. President Trump affirms his policy, “To promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement, it is in America’s best interest for the Federal Government to designate one — and only one — official language” (Paragraph 4). Policies such as these place English as a dominant language, ignoring over 400 languages spoken in the United States. This is a gradual process of assimilation because the requirements of the English language often jeopardize the heritage, language, and culture of past generations, based on the citizenship requirements on the official United States government website.

A scholar at the University of Colorado, Alejandra Gutiérrez in her thesis, The Emotional Roller Coaster of the Heritage Speaker Experience 2024. Addresses the topic of the interconnection between native language and community, arguing that both of them correlate with emotion and identity. Gutiérrez supports this claim by having participants within similar Latinx communities explain their experiences through firsthand accounts that displayed the causes of drifting apart from their native language. A participant claims, “It is necessary for the Latino community to understand that there is more to being a Latino than speaking Spanish, and language proficiency should not be the end all be all for claiming the identity” (48). The system in the United States insists that having knowledge of English over their native language since it creates a sense of belonging. Consequently, according to Gutiérrez’s study, younger Latinx generations have felt a sense of insecurity when being associated with Spanish. Since knowing only English for belonging to society, outside of the home, it creates an internal conflict for younger Latinx individuals’ identity, on which is the correct language to learn. This viewpoint challenges the idea that language defines identity in a society; the system fabricated in the United States connects language and identity.

To add on to Guitierrez’s discussion of the correction between language and emotional conflict, Carly, Castillo et al. (2021) in the research paper Mental health among Latinx emerging adults: Examining the role of familial accusations of assimilation and ethnic identity conducted and written by psychology professors in varying Universities, explored their argument that cultural expectations and language can cause negative emotional affect within families. These authors support their argument through the accusations that assimilation in the United States can negatively impact mental health. According to Thornhill and Castillo et al., “Our findings support the first hypothesis that familial accusations of assimilation are significantly associated with both depression and anxiety. Our study builds upon the existing literature on the impact of intragroup marginalization on mental health” (13). The study conducted revealed that English and/or American behaviors within a family created conflict because of their lack of proficiency. The emotional burden of trying to maintain two separate languages in an English-dominant setting, younger Latinx individuals endure both internal and external conflict when trying to maintain a balance between heritage and societal pressures.

Both Gutiérrez and Thornhill, and Castillo et al. studies illustrated how language isn’t just a form of communication; it falls into a deeper connection between identity and overall approval in the United States. Gutiérrez emphasized how language loss in an American society can create a sense of separation and disconnect from one’s heritage. To expand on this, Thornhill and Castillo et al. examine how the same pressures within families also generate depression and anxiety. Navigating and intertwining both languages is difficult, as they both underscore the consequences of an English-oriented society and its principles.

Works Cited

(For both drafts)

Cohen, James, and Corrine M. Wickens. “Speaking English and the Loss of Heritage Language.” Https://Tesl-Ej.org/Wordpress/Issues/Volume18/Ej72/Ej72a7/, Feb. 2015, tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume18/ej72/ej72a7/.

GUTIÉRREZ, ALEJANDRA. “‘Yeah, I’m a “No Sabo”. ¿Y Qué Tiene?’: The Emotional Roller Coaster of the Heritage Speaker Experience – ProQuest.” Proquest.com, 2021, www.proquest.com/docview/3060253325?%20Theses&fromopenview=true&pq-origsite=gscholar&sourcetype=Dissertations%20.

President Donald J. Trump. “Designating English as the Official Language of the United States.” The White House, 1 Mar. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/.

The White House. “Chapter 2 – English and Civics Testing.” USCIS, 9 Jan. 2020, www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-e-chapter-2.

Thornhill, Carly W., et al. “Mental Health among Latinx Emerging Adults: Examining the Role of Familial Accusations of Assimilation and Ethnic Identity.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 78, no. 5, Nov. 2021, pp. 892–912, https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23271.

Welsh, Stephanie N., and Erika Hoff. “Language Exposure Outside the Home Becomes More English-Dominant from 30 to 60 Months for Children from Spanish-Speaking Homes in the United States.” International Journal of Bilingualism, vol. 25, no. 3, SAGE Publishing, Aug. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006920951870.