It’s not uncommon today to see that children, whose parents are immigrants in the United States, are shunning their cultural heritage and native language in favor of a more American style way of living. The United States harbors immigrants from places all around the world. Of course, that comes with so many cultural backgrounds with various living styles and many different languages. The question then arises why so many of these, generally, second generation immigrants, exposed to the way of life of both their native culture and the culture in America, are going in favor of the American way of life. Looking at the some of the decisive factors these second-generation immigrants face, along with experiences they have growing up throughout their childhood into adulthood, we can ideally find out what prompts such a decision.
“Mother Tongue”, a written work by Amy Tan discusses some of her own experiences and thoughts about the English language. Tan states that she admires the language and that she thinks about it a lot. She even discusses her use of the language, languages as Tan says, “all the Englishes I grew up with”. Tan was enlightened that a speech, one that she gave so often, didn’t feel normal to her in one experience when her own mother was present listening to her, “the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother”. Tan continued to state another experience in which the presence of her mother had her wording phrases different to how they’d normally be said. She said it was because it was “a different sort of English”, “the language I grew up with”. Tan proceeded to discuss how she thought more about the English her mother spoke. She would use terms such as “broken” or “fractured”. But she says it deeply upsets her when she uses these terms. Tan said she was ashamed of her mother’s limited capability of English. She stated experiences where she was on the phone as if she was her mother due to her mother’s English limitations. Tan states her mother’s English almost influenced her by limiting her “possibilities in life as well”. Tan became an English major and became a writer. In her writings she utilizes the different types of Englishes she grew up with, including her mother’s. She said it helped convey in her writing works what language on its own cannot.
A reason as to why many second-generation immigrants distance themselves from their native culture and language is that they could be ashamed of it. An example of this is Amy Tan. In her story we see her share experiences with her mother, who of course didn’t have perfect English. It can be inferred that Tan strayed away from utilizing this English publicly due to het being so ashamed of it. Tan believed that the limited English her mother spoke was an imperfection, one that she did not want to embrace. But throughout her life, as she grew up, Tan began to realize as a writer how the Chinese English, which is what her mother spoke, captured a part of her story which she herself could not convey without using that English. I’m fond of the term Tan uses for the various types of English she comes across throughout her life, quoting it as all her “Englishes”. Just as Tan came to realize, there’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to the English one speaks. There’s nothing embarrassing about it. It’s a part of one’s character and who they are. Second generation immigrants, those who are still young take time to realize this, and at some point, that realization can come too late. It’s important for them to remember that their native tongue, their way of speaking, is a part of them.
““I’m Brazilian, Not Brazilian American”: The Experiences of Second-Generation Brazilian Adolescents Preserving Their Heritage Language and Resisting Assimilation.” This article comes of the International Journal of Multicultural Education. The article starts off by discussing a brief history into Brazilian Immigrants in the United States. They came to the US “due to economic hardships and political instability”. They came seeking for better opportunities. In the US, Brazilians are labeled as nonwhite, Hispanic/Latino. However, despite this, it was apparent that Brazilian immigrants slotted into American neighborhoods nicely. But coming with the increase in these immigrants came with many second-generation immigrants now located in mainstream American communities. It was now a concern as to whether these second-generation immigrants would maintain their heritage and language, as a result preserving their culture. The article then proceeds to discuss the maintenance of heritage and language. The article cites that retaining cultural values and language provides immigrant families with “a sense of belonging to an ethnic community”. However, the article states that “many pressures push immigrants to shift to English, including their children’s desire for social inclusion”. The article states forward that this language sets Americans apart from outsiders and so by the time these second-generation immigrants are adults, their cultural language is let go. The article continues to discuss a study that ends up providing a result that shows just how important the preservation of cultural heritage is. It showcases participants being proud over their heritage when being interviewed about it, thus rejecting an American identity as a result. The participants in the study refused to be labeled as Brazilian Americans, they wanted to be known as simply Brazilian.
Some second-generation immigrants turn away from their cultural identity due to their surroundings. The article states that pressures that came from residing within a mainstream neighborhood were a contributing factor that led to a result where these second-generation immigrants had let go their heritage language completely. The article’s purpose is to enforce the point that heritage and heritage language is what builds a strong identity for an ethnic group, and it comes as a sign of respect towards one’s immigrant parents. This article can be seen to comply with the points Amy Tan made in her written work as she also connected her revelation into incorporating her heritage language in her writing back to her won mother. Both these works share a common theme which states that one’s heritage language and cultural identity is a strong reinforcement of who they are as a person. That’s something that no one should be able to steal away from anyone.
“Children of Immigrants Often Torn Between Two Cultures : Assimilation: As parents continue to bring their families’ hopes and expectations to the United States, a complex tension can develop for young new Americans.” This article is one that is published in the Los Angeles Times. The article starts out with the speaker, one who is an immigrant. He states that he was viewed as this cute little Filipino kid. However, he wanted to be viewed as an American. He states that he noticed that the people who were judging him were “mostly white Americans”. The speaker states that he struggled with issues regarding his identity. He states his experience in a private school where “the concepts of race and class collided”. He had a greater feeling that he was different to everyone else around him. Balaoing, the speaker, states that his identity issue was regarding his efforts in being American. The article provides a study which comes with a result that “part of the pressure many new immigrants encounter occurs when they attempt to create a balance”. This refereeing to their cultural identity and their new American identity. The article concludes with stating how second-generation immigrants deal with that pressure, added onto the fact that they don’t want to let their parents down, so they do as they wish for the best for their class rather than for themselves.
The ideal reality of being an American is one that draws second-generation immigrants to neglect their own cultural heritage. Its apparent that in the article the speaker has a desire to fit in and he wanted to just be viewed as an American to fellow classmates he saw in school. This article discusses more so the issues that second generation immigrants face, I’d say in greater detail than the other two. As in Amy Tan’s work, the desire to fit into this ideal of an American, or in Amy Tan’s case of English, was what was the catalyst in drawing the speaker away from their cultural heritage. That claim is backed up the second article that discussed the surrounding of the Brazilian American immigrants. It’s the thought of the American dream that lured in the first generation of immigrants and it seems like second-generation immigrants face a struggle and fall into a trap as a result.
The societal pressure, the embarrassment, and the American ideal, just some of the reasons we see second-generation immigrants neglecting their own culture. It’s very common to see this today. So many second-generation immigrants as adults have let go their heritage. But it’s important to remember that one’s heritage is a strong component to their ethnic identity. Its hard to maintain a balance of more than one identity, of course. That’s what first generation immigrants had to struggle with as well. However, it seems though that being born in the United States amongst a society where American ideals run the streets, it’s inevitable that second-generation immigrants have let go their own identity. They’re being discouraged from embracing their identity and instead told to embrace an identity that isn’t unique to them. That is something that needs to be reinstated and encouraged more throughout.
