A study investigated patterns and influences in Mexican-American children's Spanish language maintenance and shift toward English dominance or monolingualism. Subjects were 64 Mexican-descent children, ages 8-9, of varying immigration backgrounds (Mexican-born, U.S.-born of Mexican-born parents, U.S.-born of U.S.-born parents), and their families in one California community. Interviews and activities were conducted to investigate language proficiency, attitudes, and choices, and the children were observed and tape-recorded in everyday activities at home and at school. Preliminary findings indicate that a shift from Spanish to English is occurring across generations in language choice for home and school use. However, despite the tendency for children to have greater access to English-speaking teachers as they progress through grades, some still rely on English in academic activities with peers, suggesting an environment supportive of Spanish and of language alternation. A similar shift toward English appears in language proficiency across background groups, and interlingual dependency appears to occur only for foreign-born children with access to Spanish across a wide range of domains. Many adults want their children to be proficient in both languages. Overall, a strong commitment to bilingualism emerges, despite an intergenerational shift toward English. Bibliography and survey questions are appended. (MSE)