An ethnography of Mexican migrants in Corvallis, Oregon : linguistic and social isolation

Graduation date: 1992Reflecting an effort to broaden the scope of research concerning Mexican\ud migration, this thesis describes the experiences of monolingual Spanish-speaking\ud Mexican migrants in Corvallis, Oregon and explores the roles of language and culture\ud in shaping these migrants' experiences. Data were collected through intensive\ud participant observation and semi-structured interviews.\ud Migrants arrive in Corvallis with little or no English language proficiency and\ud subsequently develop coping strategies. Ethnographic studies focusing on Mexican\ud migrants in the Pacific Northwest are lacking from the related literature on migration.\ud Studies investigating cultural and linguistic factors associated with Mexican migrants'\ud communication difficulties within the context of the United States are deficient as\ud well.\ud This research, therefore, both adds to the extant literature on Mexican migration\ud and provides potentially useful information for the design of more effective programs\ud and policies targeted to the migrant community