Linguistic Diversity Impacts on Immigrants
Every immigrant has set a goal to learn a new language when planning a visit or to move to a different country. The languages spoken in other countries lead to immigrants struggling to learn the language and benefit from adapting to the new environment. Most struggles are due to the citizens of any country discriminating against immigrants for language speaking. Other times, the barriers are due to how the immigrants interpret the language and their families struggling to learn it. Therefore, the discrimination leads to immigrants facing disappointment just because of their fluency in a second language. Moreover, challenges with linguistic diversity limit the possibilities immigrants can accomplish. I question myself, what can we do as citizens to help migrate immigrants into our country. Regardless if people are immigrants and struggling towards new opportunities, we, as citizens of our countries, should provide service aids to assist and help immigrants receive the benefits they’ve requested for better lives. The linguistic diversity has negatively impacted the immigrants adapting to changes in new places.
English is one of the many languages immigrants have targeted to learn when they migrate to the United States. Richard Alba, John Logan, Amy Lutz, and Brian Stults, all sociologists at SUNY-Albany and the University of Florida, in their article, “Only English by the Third Generation Loss and Preservation of the Mother Tongue Among The Grandchildren of Contemporary Immigrants,” explain their studies into the effects of third-generation linguistic assimilation on immigrant groups by contrasting the home languages of second and third-generation children, as well as the degree of language shift, with that of European immigrants’ descendants to emphasize the linguistic diversity of United States English impacting the immigrants. The researchers presented their analyses for all third- (and later-) generation children in a group and for those in households in which at least one parent spoke a language other than English (labeled “mother-tongue homes”). The latter restriction eliminated many fourth- and later-generation children in households where only English was spoken. It allowed us to examine intergenerational language shift directly. Second, we used the 1989 November Current Population Survey (CPS) to estimate the English-only percentage of the third, rather than a later, generation among the children of the Mexican group (PG 4). As they aim to return to Korea, their actual language practices nevertheless reflect the language ideology inside the Korean context, despite their attempts to differentiate themselves from other Korean immigrant groups.” The family’s future, flexibility, and mobility determine elements in developing target language competency, how learners project themselves, and how they now use the languages at home. The research shows that many only around a tenth of second-generation children from groups like the Dominicans and Mexicans speak English solely at home, but roughly one-fifth of Cubans do. Many Asian youngsters, on the other hand, have either grown up in households where English is spoken often or have switched to English. For example, many Filipino immigrants are already conversant in English when they come to the United States.
Another article called “Language and Non-linguistic Brokering: Diversity of Experiences of Young Immigrant Adults from Eastern Europe” supports the previous source of linguistic diversity that impacts immigrants. Researchers from the Department of Sociology and the University of Calgary, Vanja Lazarevic, Marcela Raffaelli, and Angela Wiley, examine different types of brokering work and feelings about it among first-generation immigrant young adults from Latin countries and Eastern Europe. Studies showed that Latino adolescents reported feeling optimistic about their brokering (negotiating) experiences, whereas Latina girls said more favorable feelings toward brokering than Latino boys. Youth have reported feeling frustrated and embarrassed about the brokering work they have to do. These conflicting results may reflect that individual youth have mixed feelings about brokering. The research in this scenario divulges some of the significant struggles immigrants have suffered while adapting to a new environment. The battles include frustration about conversing with people in a different language leading to immigrants struggling with adaptation.
Another research on linguistic diversity and immigrants from the Migration Policy Institute was done by Jeanne Batalova, a Senior Policy Analyst at MPI and Manager of the Migration Data Hub, and Jie Zong, an Associate Policy Analyst providing quantitative research support across MPI programs. The studies showcase the results of immigrants from various countries adapting to the United States, comparing the Limited English Population and English Proficient citizens. The research on limited English proficiency reveals that in 2015, the LEP population (including immigrants and native-born Americans) was less educated and more likely to live in poverty. In addition to the research on linguistic diversity, due to varying immigration trends and demographic makeup, the linguistic variety of the LEP community differed across the country. The Limited English Population had fewer chances of a better life in terms of low-classes likely living in poverty and less educated than their English-proficient peers because of their language fluency. Therefore, the limited English population’s barriers negatively impact the linguistic diversity of immigrants.
Education on student immigrants can negatively impact them, primarily when an immigrant in school writes in their foreign language. TEDx Talks, a division of TED Talk, uploaded a video of linguistic bias in student education, with narration by Camille Byrd O’Quin, an assistant professor coordinator of Clinical Education of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. Camille talks about how her daughter Sophia, a third-grader who struggled with education at her school, wrote her words in an African language called “Aave” in the video. Camille claims that her daughter received remarks from instructors telling her that her sentences were “bad” and that she needed to alter them. Sophia fought back against her professors, stating that her foreign language was essential to black culture and how blacks communicated and that the teachers were racist. Many teachers at school would assign black pupils to Camille for help with the language Aave, asking her to assess and correct the youngsters. Camille discusses the prejudice and discrimination experienced by black kids who spoke the Aave language, focusing on her daughter Sophia, who received terrible feedback on her work. Camille explains the racism/discrimination against black students who spoke the language Aave from educators, especially her daughter Sophia who received negative comments about her writing. Camille expressed her concerns about her daughter and educators referring Aave speakers to her to “fix” them. Therefore, educational experiences can negatively impact immigrants because of their first spoken language in their schoolwork while learning a second language.
An immigrant who struggles to live a new life because of the country’s citizens mistreating them for their broken language-speaking relates to the linguistic diversity impacts. Amy Tan, a writer, English lover, and Chinese immigrant, published Mother Tongue in The Threepenny Review in 1990. This article provides readers with a journey of learning English from her point of view to address the struggle of immigrants from the discriminators of language speaking. She explains her struggles in adapting to a new environment via her English learning by divulging her mother’s experience learning English. Tan expands on her efforts by stating her mother’s “poor” English affected her perspective of her mother as she grew up feeling embarrassed by her English. Tan’s mother’s English resulted in people in department stores, banks, and restaurants not taking her seriously, giving her excellent service, not understanding her, and acting as if they did not hear her (PG 2). Moreover, Tan includes that when her mother spoke English with no mistakes, the hospital still disrespected her when she expressed her anxiousness to know the diagnosis of her husband’s and son’s brain tumor CAT scans, forcing her to reschedule appointments. Tan’s pathos utilized for these scenarios broke down her mother’s English journey shows how different corporations in the United States have discriminated against her mother for her improper English resulting in her not getting the service requested. Not only was Amy’s mother discriminated against, but also Amy’s adaptation to the linguistic diversity in the United States led to her realizing the limitations to the endless possibilities she could’ve achieved. Therefore, Amy had trouble learning to speak English because of the rudeness of the U.S citizens.
While it may seem our world is full of negativity, immigrants may have their troubles during the adapting phase to a new world, leaving negative impacts on them. However, that shouldn’t detract us that we, U.S. citizens, shouldn’t take them for granted for improper language and instead provide assistance and help immigrants receive the benefits they’ve requested for better lives. Regardless of the linguistic diversity in other countries, immigrants struggle to learn languages and benefit from adapting to the new environment; their lives matter. What new goals will immigrants set now while in the new environment?
Sources Cited:
Language and Non-linguistic Brokering: Diversity of Experiences of Young Immigrant Adults from Eastern Europe
Migration Policy Institute: Language Diversity and English Proficiency in the United States
Mother Tongue Amy Tan
http://www.umsl.edu/~alexanderjm/Mother%20Tongue%20by%20Tan.pdf
Only English by the Third Generation Loss and Preservation of the Mother Tongue Among The Grandchildren of Contemporary Immigrants
TEDx Talks | TedxLewis University | The Impact of Linguistic Bias in Education by Camille Byrd O’Quin
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