How do we teach a
culture we are only selectively apart of? Do we compartmentalize different cultural practices based on current lifestyle?
Experts in fields dealing with children development, where
it be an pediatrician, school teacher or their families, will mostly likely
agree that teaching children more than one language is beneficial to their
brain development, social interaction and academic achievement. One of the main
reasons is the capability to understand and transfer information at a higher
and faster rate then when language
translation does not take place. The ability to fully understand and comprehend
languages more than one, is the struggle for parents in choosing the culture
associated with each language to teach their children.
Language experts will agree that language is culture and a
culture has its own language. For new parents, there are many monumental stages
for their first child that are looked forward to and celebrated. One of them is
a baby’s first word(s). For parents who are bi-cultural and bi-lingual, which
language becomes more significant than the other to teach that child? Being
able to speak and comprehend two cultures and languages was a necessity amongst
children of immigrants, but what about the second generation in the 21st
century? With the availability of technologies and easy travel to different cultures
and countries, the term “culture” has become more fluid and versatile as groups
have become more unified and languages has had to make cultural adjustments to
describe daily life. The an example the word IPAD is the same in Arabic,
English and Chinese.
For children of immigrants,
the process was almost simple: English outside, different language inside (mostly
likely one language of both parents). These first generation children were distinctly
aware of the differences of their home language and English, which enabled them
to clarify differences when it came to cultural beliefs and practices. Immigrant
from non-developed countries or countries of war, were much well versed in
their home culture and language as some
had been exposed to the full culture and language at one time or another during their formative
years. This full emergence has aided in being able to separate and create
different identities as appropriate and welcomed in each culture. Secondly,
children of immigrants had to reply on social interaction and constantly
identifying with both cultures through their daily life. For an example, many
of the aforementioned children translated for family members, especially their
parents for their own schooling purposes, shopping, traveling and being a
contributing member of their new communities to be able to strengthen their new
identity. Whilst children today have limited social interaction to develop both
identities, with the creation of enticing apps and online games to expose and infiltrate
their time and how its spent. People interaction has decreased whist technological
interaction has increased. This is a challenge in language and culture learning
and teaching for parents trying to incorporate dual languages and cultures
whist living in the US.
For second generation
children living in the united States with parents who came at here at a very
young age (0-15 years old), have a much more complex set of challenges in
creating and maintaining a cultural and language identity as they have never
experienced a full immersion or a community. If the aforementioned parents do not solidify
their own bi-cultural and language identities, how then can they pass on the
same identities to those who may never have been fully emergence such a way of
life, but has only experienced snippets of their parents life . Take the
following family as an example of the complexity of language and culture
teaching to children exposed to another culture at the same time and how each
new generation point of reference has changed.
A traditional family from Afghanistan has been displaced due
to war and the father, mother and three young children, all under-fives years
old, have settled in Seattle Washington. The father and mother don’t speak
English and only their native language of Pashto. Their children have only been
exposed to the culture and language in Afghanistan, like their parents. Upon
arrival, the children slowly start to attend primary school and within a few
years, they are fully fluent in English and serve as guides and translators for
their parents who are mostly home bound or serve in local immigrant communities
in positions where little or no English is required. In essence with time, the
children start to teach their parents the culture and language. The children
become the teachers, but only have to teach one language and culture: English.
They quickly become bi-lingo and bi-cultural, however their parents still hold
the dominate afghan identity and language and will remain as the point of reference
for all teaching that is to come with being an Afghan parent. Now that the
children have grown and some have never seen or visited their home country
again, they have created lives in their new home, whilst trying to keep both
identities as they embark on the journey of creating their own families. The
have successfully learned to compartmentalize cultural significances.
This second generation from afghan-American parents, have
challenges and rewards ahead of them as they try to understand the powerfulness
of knowing and understanding both cultures and languages and not just the most convenient
one for the time being. English and the American culture has become their
reference point as that is what they know and the society they live in. Sure,
in the home different language can be taught and culture practiced, however it
can no longer be done in isolation, when outside the doorsteps, a different
language and culture await. Bi-cultural parents have an interesting task of
integrating both cultures and languages and unlike them, it is they who has to
teach it, not their children as they had done for their own parents. The
challenge is creating an environment that teaches and uses both languages. The
reward is not having to choose one culture over the other, as technology has
brought cultures into our living room, but having different sets of
experiences, perspectives and understanding of people in general. Being more
mindful and aware of differences and bridging the gap between them to
acknowledge our similarities. These second generation of children will hopefully
use technology to create an even more unified world with their unique set of
skills that each language and culture have given them.
