What does assimilation mean when it comes to second generation Essay - 1

What does assimilation mean when it comes to second generation immigrants studied in BECOMING NEW YORKERS - Essay Example Though incorporation of immigrants from all over the world has been a great accomplishment of America, especially New York, deliberations on how far these immigrants will be able to assimilate have been continuing over the years. According to the authors, social scientists of the mid-twentieth century felt assimilation to be closely connected to, if not to be the same as, acculturation and upward mobility. Assimilation or â€Å"becoming American† meant giving up one’s home-country ties, and the key concern was, â€Å"to what extent?† Social scientists believed that the ties to the home countries would gradually disappear leaving behind a culture which would be more American and less ethnic. This belief has proved to be true as, over the years, conflicts between American and immigrant identities has almost always led to the disappearance of the ethnic identity. The authors quote Tuan’s definition of assimilation as â€Å"becoming a white American,† and those who could not assimilate remained in some ways always foreign. However, ties to their home countries do not play an active role in the lives of the new generation immigrants. While the immigrants make it a point to teach their offspring their ethnic culture, they do not wish for marriage alliances from their home countries, but rather from among the immigrant Americans. Most of the new generation immigrants, especially the Asians, cannot speak their parents’ language, while those who can cannot read or write their native language. They distinguish themselves from their parents so much so that today there are ABCs (American-Born Chinese) and ARCs (American-Raised Chinese) as well as FOBs (Fresh Off the Boat). American-raised Koreans are referred to as 1.5 generation, while the New York-raised Dominicans are Dominicanyorks, and New-York-raised Puerto Ricans are Nuyor icans. In the second chapter of the book, â€Å"Unravelling the Race-Gender Gap in