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This study examines the language experiences of two distinct Chinese immigrant groups in the U.S.: a Mandarin-speaking group and a Fujianese-speaking group across two generations. The different language trajectories of the parents' generation, along with their social class and different settlement patterns in the U.S., shaped the second-generation children's different perceptions towards their heritage language and English. Because of these underlying sociocultural forces and the different power relations between the heritage language and English in U.S. society, the maintenance of the heritage language is kept at a minimum level of communication for the Fujianese children, but is resisted by the Mandarin children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study investigates attitudes toward heritage language (HL) maintenance among Chinese immigrant parents and their second-generation children. Specific attention is given to exploring (1) what attitudes are held by the Chinese parents and children toward Chinese language maintenance in the USA, (2) what efforts are engaged in by the Chinese parents in promoting children's HL maintenance, and how do the second-generation children respond to these efforts? Data for this paper are drawn from participant observations in two Chinese local communities in Philadelphia and ethnographic interviews with 18 Chinese immigrant families in the communities. Analysis of the data indicates that while the Chinese parents value their HL as a resource and take positive actions to maintain the HL in the next generation, the children fail to see the relevance of HL learning in their life and often resist parents' efforts in HL maintenance. The results of the study suggest that American mainstream schools should work together with immigrant parents and HL schools to incorporate children's HL in the official school curriculum and create a supportive environment for HL learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]