Linguistic Hybridity

Among English language learners (ELLs) in the United States, linguistic hybridity, or the mixing of languages to create hybrid forms of language, has emerged as an important aspect of language acquisition. This entry examines the impact of immigration on linguistic hybridity and considers its implications for educators.

The overall student population speaking a non-English native language in the United States rose from 6% in 1979 to 14% in 2009, and the number of ELLs in K–12 schools has been recently estimated to be more than 14 million, with the greatest number in early education. Young ELLs (ages 0–8 years), therefore, have been the fastest growing student population in the country over the past few decades, due primarily to increased rates in (legal and illegal) immigration as ...