The Uptowner in NYC runs a rather deficit-oriented, but interesting piece on bilingualism and speech delays. This lacks a bit of nuance, as with the following passage: “'Research shows that bilingual kids have smaller vocabularies; kids from poor backgrounds are shown to have a smaller vocabulary. So they will score lower on tests,' says Crowley" who is one of the main sources of information for the piece. Of course she fails to mention that aggregating the vocabularies across the languages of bilingual kids often reduces the vocabulary discrepancies she mentions.

Interesting. From China Weekly - local officials have failed to  approve the "largest European-style town in Beijing," in which "private enterprise invested in the 'English-language town' and planned to have it built within five years, hoping to attract fans of the English language and tourists from across the country who enjoy promoting the learning of English, local media have said." 

ktiv reports that 169,000 people report speaking Navajo in the home "at a time when some tribes have lost their native tongue or are struggling to retain the words of their ancestors." However encouraging the finding, the article goes on to explain that, in the U.S., the "population of Navajos is well over 300,000. For every one who speaks the language, one doesn't - and those are likely younger Navajos." Good overview of some of the reasons why Native languages today are extinct or in danger of exinction.

Joe Arpaio,  Maricopa County sheriff, is singled out by the Department of Justice as emblematic of a pervasive culture of  discrimination, particularly against Latinos, in the state.  From the New York Times: "After an investigation that lasted more than three years, the civil rights division of the Justice Department said in a 22-page report that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, which Mr. Arpaio leads, had 'a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos' that 'reaches the highest levels of the agency.'” 

Education Week reports on the growth of the immigrant population in the Des Moines, IA public schools and the efforts that are being undertaken to serve the needs of a growing population of students who come from typically underrepresented immigrant groups, notably Bhutan and Myanmar. "School Board member Dick Murphy said the population has the potential to grow into a bilingual work force for the area. "We shouldn't always look at this as a problem," Murphy said. "It is a problem academically, but it' s also a resource that's enhancing our community." 

The Law Professor Blog Network reports on more legal troubles for Alabama's H.B. 56, which stipulates that under "Section 30 of the law, anyone applying for an annual mobile home registration tag – or renewal – was required to produce papers proving their legal residence status.  The court found that there was substantial evidence that the law was adopted with discriminatory intent against Latinos."

The Christian Science Monitor has a fascinating story that further polarizes the rhetoric from the realities of the American  immigration story.

From the Migration Policy Institute: just look at the tables to get a sense of why the U.S. is one of largest Spanish-speaking countries in the nation, but also of the amazing range of other languages spoken and how they vary as a function of region. Really nice report.

Oh, right, it's not just the United States that is affected by immigration. It's the sending countries as wel. Forgot about that for a minute. Interesting trailer for "The Other Side of Immigration" that deals with the effects of US - Mexican immigration as it pertains to Mexican communities and families. Interesting choice of music, but it's worth watching the trailer.

Using what appear to be strong qualitative research methods, Human Rights Watch has just released a report on Alabama's anti-immigration law entitled "No Way to Live: Alabama's Immigrant Law", which is " based in part on first-hand accounts given by 57 state residents, including citizens and permanent residents, who reported abuse or discrimination."