CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Introduction
Because this research is interdisciplinary in nature, it requires
an understanding not only of the findings in the field of second
language acquisition, but also of the process of assimilation and
acculturation. To understand the factors which influence English
learning for a group of 1980 Cuban students, it is important to con
sider the way in which previous groups of Cuban immigrants have adapted
to life in the U.S., the conditions under which they lived in Cuba,
and circumstances of their arrival and adjustment in the U.S.
This review is therefore divided into five subsections: the
first is an overview of the use of ethnography and sociolinguistics in
second language education; the second is a review of assimilation and
acculturation of immigrant groups within the U.S.; the third is a review
of the data on previous Cuban migrations that have occurred since the
Cuban Revolution; the fourth is a review of significant sociopolitical
and economic factors in Revolutionary Cuba that may have affected the
1980 migrants; the fifth is a review of data on the 1980 immigrants.
Because of the broad scope of this review of the literature, no
one section is considered to be an exhaustive analysis of all available
information. Each section is written for the purpose of presenting an
overview of background information relating to the current language
learning of this specific population.
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