Intermarriage Intermarriage is not only a sign that a person has transcended the ethnic self-segregation of the first years of immigration, it is also the most potent example of how Americans forge a common national experience out of a diverse cultural past. Out of Many One. By the third generation, intermarriage rates for Asians and Latinos are extremely high. Within ten years of arrival, more than three-quarters of immigrants speak English with high proficiency. With second and third generations, virtually all children of immigrants speak English.
Language acquisition is key to other aspects of acculturation.
Learning English opens the door to everything from broader acquaintances across cultures to more diverse workplaces to television shows that expose newcomers to different habits, values and beliefs. The shift to English is so pervasive that, indeed, if there is a language problem in this country, it is that the native languages of immigrants is completely lost after a few generations. While immigrants adopt American ways, they do not entirely abandon their own culture and identity. Like their counterparts in past migrations to the U.S., they are leaving an indelible mark on the society that they have adopted. These recent studies speak volumes about American immigration at its best.