More second-generation U.S.-born Koreans marry outside of their nationality than any other Asian group. Their use of their native language is also lower than for other Asian groups.
At a Korean American Association of Flushing meeting on Jan. 20, Prof. Pyong Gap Min, of Queens College, N.Y., emphasized that if older-generation Koreans attempt to hand down their traditions and heritage to the younger generations without considering the marriage patterns of second-generation Koreans, something will be irretrievably lost. He referred to Marriage Patterns of American Born Asians and Usage Rates of Mother Languages, a study he authored that was published in a journal of sociology this fall.
Dr. Min analyzed data collected in a three-year American Community Survey PUMS – 2006-2008, which looked at second-generation Asians born in America after 1965. The survey gathered information on Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indians, and Korean nationalities. Results indicate that the marriage rate among second-generation Koreans (43.9 percent) is lower than among Chinese (44.8 percent), Indians (70.3 percent), or Vietnamese (62.2 percent). Among all Asians groups, Koreans had the highest rate of marriage with Caucasian partners. In terms of using their mother language, Koreans and Chinese are roughly equivalent: 55.8 percent of second-generation Koreans who married within the community speak Korean at home, while 58.8 percent of second-generation Chinese speak Chinese at home; 60.7 percent of second-generation Indians use their mother language at home.
The study showed that Koreans who married other racial groups do not use Korean often: only 16.9 percent do so. But under the same condition of mixed racial marriage with other Asian groups, 26.4 percent of Chinese young people use Chinese, and 33.8 percent of Vietnamese speak Vietnamese at home. These rates seem to indicate that second-generation Koreans have somehow assimilated with other racial groups quickly, but have dropped behind other Asian groups in terms of conserving their own heritage.
"There is a hypothesis that after three generations, among U.S. white immigrants, the usage of the mother language disappears in the following generations. However, it would seem that this hypothesis does not apply to Asian immigrant groups. Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, etc., all have an immigration history longer than that of Koreans, but still retain their own languages while displaying a high rate of assimilation into American society. The important conclusion of this research is that many second-generation young people have been marrying members of other racial groups more frequently. We should give this fact careful consideration, and act now to set up a plan to pass on a traditional Korean heritage to the coming generations," explained Prof. Min.
The U.S. South Korean College Association, the seminar's host, plans to reopen the Korean Young Person's Plaza this fall. The Plaza, which was closed, is designed to promote the identity of Korean descendants and to plant national roots. As the first project this year, the association will host a seminar in April about the Korean War.
