A vehicle or hurdle? The impact of English on Kyrgyz immigrants' social and cultural integration in the United States

This article explores the impact of the English language within the social and cultural. integration of first-generation Kyrgyz immigrants in the United States. Through participant observation and narrative interviews, the author examines Kyrgyz immigrants' English language learning experiences in their various social contexts to understand to what extent these contexts provide opportunities to learn the target language for their successful integration in the receiving country. The results of the study suggest that English is crucial for immigrants' engagement in a broad range of social and cultural practices in the receiving country and, vice versa, the importance of these contexts in providing immigrants with the opportunities to learn English.