This paper investigates the communication challenges and cultural retention within immigrant Nepalese families in the UK, focusing on the language barriers between Nepal-born parents and their UK-born children. Through a mixed-methods approach, including a survey of 30 participants and in-depth interviews with five families, the study reveals that language barriers significantly contribute to emotional gaps and family conflicts. The findings highlight the importance of bilingualism for cognitive development and cultural retention, with families expressing regret over the loss of their native language. The study applies acculturation theory and communication accommodation theory to understand these challenges and suggests strategies to improve language and cultural retention in immigrant families.
References
[1]
Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation: An International Review. Applied Psychology, 46, 5-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x
[2]
Bialystok, E. (2001). Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511605963
[3]
Cox, R. B., deSouza, D. K., Bao, J., Lin, H., Sahbaz, S., Greder, K. A. et al. (2021). Shared Language Erosion: Rethinking Immigrant Family Communication and Impacts on Youth Development. Children, 8, Article 256. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8040256
[4]
Fillmore, L. W. (2000). Loss of Family Languages: Should Educators Be Concerned? Theory Into Practice, 39, 203-210. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip3904_3
[5]
Fishman, J. A. (1991). Reversing Language Shift: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages. Multilingual Matters.
[6]
Giles, H., & Ogay, T. (2007). Communication Accommodations Theory. In B. B. Whaley & W. Samter (Eds.), Explaining communication: Contemporary Theories and Exemplars (pp. 293-310). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
[7]
Giles, H., Bourhis, R. Y., & Taylor, D. M. (1977). Towards a Theory of Language in Ethnic Group Relations. In H. Giles (Ed.), Language, Ethnicity and Intergroup Relations (pp. 307-348). Academic Press.
[8]
Giles, H., Coupland, N., & Coupland, J. (1991). Accommodation Theory: Communication, Context, and Consequence. In H. Giles, J. Coupland, & N Coupland (Eds.), Contexts of Accommodation: Developments in Applied Sociolinguistics (pp. 1-68). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511663673.001
[9]
Mak, E., Nichiporuk Vanni, N., Yang, X., Lara, M., Zhou, Q., & Uchikoshi, Y. (2023). Parental Perceptions of Publication of Bilingualism and Home Language Vocabulary: Young Bilingual Children from Low-Income Immigrant Mexican American and Chinese American Families. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1059298.
[10]
Pease-Alvarez, L. (2002). Moving Beyond Linear Trajectories of Language Shift and Bilingual Language Socialization. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 24, 114-137. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986302024002002
[11]
Portes, A., & Schauffler, R. (1994). Language and the Second Generation: Bilingualism Yesterday and Today. International Migration Review, 28, 640-661. https://doi.org/10.1177/019791839402800402
[12]
Schwartz, S. J., Unger, J. B., Zamboanga, B. L., & Szapocznik, J. (2010). Rethinking the Concept of Acculturation: Implications for Theory and Research. American Psychologist, 65, 237-251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019330
[13]
Tseng, V., & Fuligni, A. J. (2000). Parent-Adolescent Language Use and Relationships among Immigrant Families with East Asian, Filipino, and Latin American Backgrounds. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 465-476. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00465.x
