Language That Binds Us

Meena, Rachel, Des, Michelle

Honors 394A
June 1, 2015

Recap from the Midterm

Bengali
Demographics
o
o

West Bengal vs. East Bengal (Bangladesh)

Bengali vs. Bangla

Immigration to the United States

o
o

Education, career opportunities (IT/engineering)

Many immigrants had already been abroad

Interview with Heritage Speaker

o

Strong connection to culture (identity)

Burmese
Demographics and Immigration
o Past events (Militaristic government and anti-chinese
persecutions) = the main motivations for Burmese ethnic
minorities to move to the U.S (Karen and Chin).
o Refugees face educational barriers (Level 1 or 2 English) and
lack resources and skills to teach children English.
Community Groups and Resources: Coalition for Refugees from
Burma =>
o Refugees of ethnic minorities (Karen and Chin). They teach
their own language which is a variant of Burmese at local
ministries or churches.

Samoan: Previously...
the Great Migration beginning in 1950-51 with the fitafita guard (followed in
the 60s by a time of family reuniting).
Theres this stereotype that Samoan kids are violent, and that schools not their
thing.
In Seattle Public Schools, the dropout rate among Samoan students (as of
2010/2011) was 8.5%, in contrast to the overall rate, which was 4.0%

Additional Demographics
184,440 Samoans in the US in 2010, which is 15.1% of
the Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander ethnic
group (US Census Bureau)
About 33% of Samoans in the US are in California, 20.3%
in Hawaii, and 9.9% in Washington.

Cantonese

Immigration in two waves: between 1850-1880, and from 1970 - present

62 million speakers worldwide (52 million in China)
National language policy in China favors Mandarin
Relatively good prospects for language maintenance as the de facto official
language of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong Province
Some presence of the language/culture on campus

Challenges Facing
Immigrants

Challenges Facing Samoan Immigrants

the stereotype: disruptive, athletic,
not academically inclined.
In 2006, 1 out of 4 Samoans in America
were living below the poverty line, compared
to the national average of 1 out of 10
Americans.
my experience in re: interviews and reception
of outsiders (similarities with Russ Hugos
research)

she was kind

of
low-key racist

FOB

g
n
i
r
othe

Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead
o one of the worlds first anthropologists
o travelled to American Samoa in 1925

In 1928 published her book Coming of Age in Samoa

She made some very broad generalizations about Samoans which have
been very harmful. I think a lot of Samoans have hated the scholarship
of people like Margaret Mead. Its created a lot of stigmas and
stereotypes that people have about our people. One of them is that
women, Samoan adolescent girls, are sexually promiscuous. Thats
dangerous. And Margaret Meads work was studied for generations
and has shaped what people think about Samoans.

Cantonese
First Chinese immigrants to US were low-skill
laborers, faced racism and discrimination
Chinese Exclusion Act hindered from
naturalization, buying property, or reentry to
the United States
Max Fleischer's Chinatown My Chinatown
(1929)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=115&v=
VjFu5XwCVyI
Culture maintained in hostile environment

Bengali
Language maintenance (second-generation)
o
o

Not many schools available to teach Bengali

Not as many parents are speaking at home

Culture continues to live on

o

Festivals and holidays are celebrated

South Asian cultural awareness exists

o

Generalization

Burmese
Interview with Mona Han (Director of Coalition for
Refugees from Burma)
Findings:
Burmese language is not taught. Refugees are of
ethnic minorities who have been in a sixty-year war
with Burma (Karen and Chin)
We try to maintain the culture as well as language,
but the main barrier is the hesitance of the refugees.
The tricky thing is that the militaristic government
has oppressed the refugees so they dont want to
learn the language from the oppressor.

Methods of Maintenance

Cantonese

Because of its status elsewhere in the

world, there is an abundance of
Cantonese-language media
o Hong Kong dramas, Cantopop
Contrast between new and old
immigration trends
o Higher status of
language/speakers, less dense
community
Chinese language schools favor
Mandarin; however, some local
supports for Cantonese language persist

Bengali
Language Movement Day: February 21
o
o

Bengali Language Movement: 1952

Bangladesh Independence: 1971

International Mother Language Day

(UNESCO)
Identity
o
o

Literature
Age

Bengali
University of Washington:
1 of 3 universities to offer the language (US)
Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced
Both heritage and non-heritage speakers
Variety of motivations

Burmese
Refugees move to the U.S to live freely by speaking their
own ethnic languages.
Buddhist monasteries used to teach Burmese, but it was
run by volunteers (limited)
Private tutors (UW), or family members
Coalition for Refugees from Burma: Incorporate songs
w/ Burmese phrases (Parents and Children Together
PACT)

Coalition for Refugees from Burma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB2MoBTPHi0

Samoan: The Language of the Elders

aiga: relatives, can include hundreds of people. Aiga
takes care of aiga
matai: the chief.
extended family and church main resource for language
learning and cultural education.

Omai Faatasi
come together or unite.
Samoan community organization in the 1960s in Carson, California, documentary
about Samoans in the US
(0:46 - 2:45) (3:45 - 4:10)

Conclusion

Burmese
Burmese presence is continuing to grow to this day => Burmese immigrant
parents want their children to go to school and receive a quality education
in the U.S.
Language is important if a parent wants to raise their child in a particular
culture, religion, or tradition.
Refugees seeking community groups (churches, coalitions,
families/friends). Resources that provide ESL classes.
135 different ethnic languages (tribes), but after assimilation to bigger
cities these smaller languages have died out. (Why ethnic minorities
formed church groups to maintain ethnic languages)
As long as the country is speaking the language as the official language = a
very small chance that it will die out.

The Future of Samoan in America

Currently 184,440 Samoans in America, with
a growth rate (from 2000-2010) of 38.4%.
Second largest demographic of NPIs, but
among slowest growth rates.
Current demographic would be family
members, seeking better fortunes. Most
Samoans work in service, labor.
Rochelle Fonoti: reaching the critical mass

Cantonese
...individuals prefer to speak language varieties that are associated with the members of
high-status groups. [...] One reason why Putonghua wasnt widespread in Guangzhou is that
it is not easy to learn...But there is another reason why Putonghua wasnt widespread until
recently and remains in competition with Cantonese. First, consider the socio-economic
prestige of Guangzhou City (formerly called Canton). Guangzhou has an exceptionally strong
economy compared with most other areas in China and a good deal of local pride for this
reason. The only other Chinese city where a local dialect rivals the prestige and use of
Putonghua is Shanghai, also an industrial center. In both places the local dialects are
common even in official settings. Guangzhous industrial success has attracted short-term
rural migrants who have been more loyal to their local capital than to the nation as a whole
because economic advantages have come largely through local connections.
Carol Myers-Scotton, Multiple Voices: An Introduction to Bilingualism

Bengali
Bengalis are often abroad
o

Connection to home

Increased immigration to the US is highly

likely
Strong identity for Bangladeshis
o

High maintenance prospects

Language will not die out in Bangladesh and

India

Thank You

Faafetai