wˌaɪl sˌʌm skˈɑːlɚz ˈɔfɚd ɐn ɐsˌɪmɪlˈeɪʃən θˈiəɹi, ˈɑːɹɡjuːɪŋ ðæt ˈɪmɪɡɹənts wʊd biː ɐsˈɪmᵻlˌeɪɾᵻd ˌɪntʊ ðə hˈoʊst səsˈaɪəɾi ˌiːkənˈɑːmɪkli, sˈoʊʃəli ænd kˈʌltʃɚɹəli ˌoʊvɚ səksˈɛsɪv dʒˌɛnɚɹˈeɪʃənz, ˈʌðɚz dɪvˈɛləpt ɐ mˌʌltɪkˈʌltʃɚɹəlˌɪzəm θˈiəɹi, æntˈɪsᵻpˌeɪɾɪŋ ðæt ˈɪmɪɡɹənts kʊd meɪntˈeɪn ðɛɹ ˈɛθnɪk aɪdˈɛntᵻɾiz θɹuː ðɪ ˌɪntᵻɡɹˈeɪʃən pɹˈɑːsɛs tə ʃˈeɪp ðə hˈoʊst səsˈaɪəɾi wɪð ɐ daɪvˈɜːsᵻfˌaɪd kˈʌltʃɚɹəl hˈɛɹɪɾɪdʒ.
While some scholars offered an assimilation theory, arguing that immigrants would be assimilated into the host society economically, socially and culturally over successive generations, others developed a multiculturalism theory, anticipating that immigrants could maintain their ethnic identities through the integration process to shape the host society with a diversified cultural heritage.