Language & Culture

Jim Poon

Language is reflective of the underlying culture. It indicates to which culture one

has a primary connection with and serves to reinforce this link.

Case Study: Transition Generations

Parents / Older Generation (C)

Primary (only) language is Chinese, strong connection to traditional Chinese culture. Relatively culturally isolated.Examples: Uncle & employer/employee relationship, Chinese media, clear Confucian family ties and relationships

Case Study: Transition Generations

Early Transition Generation (C+,E)

Came to the US in early years (young teens), Chinese language primary with fluency in English. Mix of cultural backgrounds. “Think” in Chinese.Examples: Primarily & thinking languages: relative relationships, interracial marriage, divorce, language conflicts (C, C&E, K&E). Mixed media.

Case Study: Transition Generations

Late Transition Generation (E+,C)

Came to the US in infancy or was born in the US. Primary language English with competency in Chinese. Americanized culture.Examples: Chinese relatives boundary eroded. Western independence overriding Confucian relations. Ancestral worship and ritual. English media, language barriers reinforcing culture shift.

You Are What You Speak

In my family, language and speech can be used for cultural identification, for identification of education levels and for general information.

Speech CommunitiesThere is an English “bubble” and language bonding among our generation that can understand both that serves as an almost exclusive means of communication.

Chinatown NYC serves as language community for Asians in New York that allows for cultural isolation.

In the case of my family, language is reflective of culture one belongs to primarily. It serves to reinforce this link by either reinforcing isolation (older generation) or encouraging cultural assimilation and change (younger generations).