The Pace and Flow of English Language Acquisition among the U.S. Latino Population

Shirin Hakimzadeh, Pew Hispanic Center

This paper examines the pace and flow of English language acquisition along a range of demographic variables that are critical to understanding the details of this social process. The study determines the effect, if any, of age at entry, time in country, educational attainment, and gender on both the rate and flow of language acquisition. The study is based on a sample of approximately 10,000 Latino adults produced through a series of Pew Hispanic Center surveys conducted between April 2002- July 2006. The richness of the information collected in the Pew Hispanic Center surveys on language proficiencies and usage will substantially extend our understanding of English language acquisition of Latinos.