Bilingual Community: An Ethnography Conducted in the San Diego Area - Essay Example

? Day Month Year Bilingual Community: An Ethnography Conducted in the San Diego Area Introduction Our world today is growing in population more rapidly than at any other time in our planet’s history, yet we seem to be more interconnected to one another than ever before. Even given this reality, however, many still find themselves limited by certain language and cultural barriers that have existed and developed over time. Individuals who can assimilate into a given culture, even while maintaining strong ties to their own language and culture group, can be seen to have a distinct advantage. Bilingualism is more common than we think, particularly in California. With the proliferation of immigrants that have come here during the past decades, entire communities have developed that are unique in their ability to bridge language and cultural barriers. Simply put, bilingualism refers to a person’s ability to speak at least two languages interchangeably and with ease. More than this definition, however, it speaks to the individual’s distinct ability to comfortably live in the midst of both cultures, at the same time, without hesitation. Such a person can pick up on certain cultural nuances that others might miss and they will be able to participate more openly and freely across society. Such a community, where it exists, provides ethnographers with an interesting perspective about human interaction. The aim of this short paper is to discuss how bilingualism has impact areas of San Diego and to report findings from recent fieldwork that was conducted in this area. Bilingualism Explained Many people around the world speak multiple languages, but not many use them interchangeably all the time. Bilingualism focuses on the idea that certain individuals can think, act, and speak in two or more languages as a situation dictates. Dreifus (2011) postulates “you have to use both languages all the time. You won’t get the bilingual benefit from occasional use” (para. 9). While it is helpful to learn both languages as a child, it is still possible to become truly bilingual later in life as well. It is interesting to note that historically people tended to look down on bilingualism. This was perhaps out of jealousy, or it was out of fear that larger society would put them at disadvantage. As Dreifus points out, however, today bilingualism is looked highly upon by many segments of society. Being able to appreciate one’s own culture, while still assimilating effectively into another is truly a gift. In addition, training the mind to think interchangeably in more than one language is great exercise for the brain and has even been shown to reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer’s (Dreifus 2011). As mentioned, many abhor the idea of bilingualism as they see it as a way of diminishing the dominant culture. In China, for example, the government recently announced a proposal to severely curb, and in some areas eliminate, the teaching of the Tibetan language and culture. Many Tibetans are happy bilingual and, while trying desperately to hold onto their own culture, have done a reasonable job of assimilating into larger Chinese society as well. This is becoming threatened if they are not permitted to use their language in academic settings. The fear is that, over time, their culture would be diminished to the point that they would lose their own culture (Wong 2010). Bilingualism creates strong feelings and, rightfully so, many Tibetans peacefully protested this movement in an effort to hold onto the bilingual way of life. The study of bilingualism is important because, as is the case in Tibet, many cultures and our very way of life are being threatened. Eiermann (2012) recently conducted an interview about this very topic with world-renowned anthropologist Luisa Maffi. It was mentioned that dominant cultures are not at risk of losing their identity, but they are hesitant to openly allow others into the fold. At the risk of diminishing their own culture and language, they will often make it difficult for bilingualism to flourish. It is important, however, to embrace cultural diversity and to encourage people to strengthen their own cultural roots, while learning to interact fluently in another culture and language as well (Lewis 72). This makes the world beautiful. In the end, someone who lives in a state of bilingualism is fortunate and will often have many opportunities and doors open up for them. Ethnographic Study As some who speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, in addition to English, I suppose I never really considered the influence that bilingualism has had on my life. For this study, however, I explored a bilingual Chinese community in the San Diego area and became enlightened at the way in which bilingual families, friends, and communities communicate in two languages almost simultaneously. To begin, I conducted a bit of research on Chinese history in the San Diego area and discovered that there have been settlements here for decades. In addition, many in the Chinese community send their children to one of numerous Chinese schools on the weekend to retain their language, culture and heritage. This was heartening to learn as I, myself, am proud of my culture and language, while still being extremely proud of my new found position and language in America as well. While there are many places that this field work could have been completed, I chose to observe for four hours on a Saturday afternoon in one area near Mission Beach that has a prevalent and strong Chinese community. Near a local Chinese school is where I chose to observe, as there are many markets, playgrounds, and other places of socialization that would enable me to witness bilingualism in action. In this particular, a complete mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese, and English was heard. For the four hours I spent observing, in fact, I did not hear any language spoken outside of these genres. To consider which language received preference in this community, one would have to look at various age demographics. Younger people overwhelmingly were overhead speaking to one another in English, but then to adults in Chinese. This seems to reflect a respect for authority that is more evident in Asian culture. This further defines bilingualism, as I could certainly see a complete mixture of Asia and American cultures at play here. Adults seemed to prefer speaking with one another in Chinese, yet frequently used English as well. Given this information and observation, I would say that Chinese was the language of power. I arrive at this conclusion because Chinese seemed to form the basis for conversations and decisions that were made. The people seemed to respect and have adapted well to American culture, yet they strongly hold on to their Chinese roots. As previously mentioned one language is preferred over another depending on who is being spoken to. Anyone speaking to an older person almost always did so in Chinese. The young the people speaking, the more likely they were to shift to English. While observing, I had the opportunity to speak to a few people. Not wanting to speak to children out of ethical considerations, I spoke to a university aged guy, one set of middle-aged parents, and an elderly lady. The university student provided interesting insight. Being bilingual, he prefers to speak and conduct most of his personal life in English. He said it makes more sense given where he lives. He did say, however, “I am definitely Chinese. I think and act like a Chinese person, but I am also fully American. It is kind of interesting now to think how I speak both languages interchangeably without speaking. With my parents and other Chinese adults, I speak Chinese, but with my friends and others, I almost always speak English.” The family I spoke with had another interesting observation. They spoke about respecting their culture by saying, “One way we hang onto our Chinese identity is teaching our children in Chinese and having them attend the Chinese school just down the street. While we encourage them to speak English and to fully integrate into this society, we want them to know who they are and where they come from”. In concluding my observation, I noticed that the Chinese language and culture played the dominant role in this community. Their interactions, even if taking place in English, contained Asia traditions of respect for authority and there was a clear delineation of who was in control of any given group. The language plays a big part in the community as it defines who they are and where they are going. This was a certainly a valuable experience as it combined the research I have done on bilingualism with real-life practical fieldwork. I now have a much better understanding of bilingualism and its cultural benefits. Works Cited Dreifus, Claudia. “The Bilingual Advantage.” The New York Times. N.p., 30 May 2011. Web. 3 June 2013. Eiermann, Martin. “Cultures Are No Museum Specimens.” The European. N.p., 4 Mar 2012. Web. 3 June 2013. Lewis, Anne. Bilingualism. The Education Digest, 66.1 (2000):70-75. Wong, Edward. “Tibetans in China Protest Propose Curbs on Their Language.” The New York Times. N.p., 22 October 2010. Web. 3 June 2013. Read More