We investigate whether a three-generation model of linguistic assimilation, known from previous
waves of immigration, can be applied to the descendants of contemporary immigrant groups.
Using the 5% Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample 1990 file, we examine the home languages of
second- and third-generation children and compare the degree of their language shift against that
among the descendants of European immigrants, as evidenced in the 1940 and 1970 censuses. Overall,
the rates of speaking only English for a number of contemporary groups suggest that
Anglicization is occurring at roughly the same pace for Asians as it did for Europeans, but is slower
among the descendants of Spanish speakers. Multivariate models for three critical groups—Chinese,
Cubans, and Mexicans—indicate that the home languages of third-generation children are
most affected by factors, such as intermarriage, that determine the languages spoken by adults and
by the communal context