Personal Narrative: Immigrating To The United States

511 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of culture on identity

To be identified with a particular ethnic group, an individual must share the same language, similar beliefs and behaviors of the group; that can be distinctive from other groups. Being born and grown up in a small town of South Vietnam, the Vietnamese traditional culture has deeply embedded me. It has influenced my thinking; it has shaped my personality, characters, especially my language, whose phonology differs from others. Immigrating to the United States (U.S.) as an adult, I have struggled with the language, the way I pronounce English words as well as others say my name. I have wondered that how I can assimilate my accent to American’s, so I may have more chances to succeed in this new land. However, language is the medium of communication, speaking fluently a foreign language does not mean to melt one’s mother tongue in another’s but to integrate it while maintaining one’s heritage accent because of identity.
The last name of an individual shows a part of his/her heritage identity. However, from recognizing a language to producing it properly is complex. My maiden name is Nguyen, whose initial consonants (“ng”) appear in the same position in many words in Vietnamese, while they do not appear initially in English; therefore, most Americans cannot pronounce it. As other immigrants, I had to come to the social office to do all kinds of …show more content…

Therefore, language is a crucial element to human’s social survival (Vanniarajan, 2008). However, language is also the great constraint of understanding for those who do not speak a common language. As the last name, Nguyen is popular in Vietnamese, pronounced /ŋʊɪʔn/. The consonant “ng,” pronounced /ŋ/, that appears initially in this last name arises pronunciation troubles for those who speak the language other than Vietnamese; it is pronounced /njuʒn/ which causes misunderstanding for Vietnamese

Show More
Related

  • Clarifying Misconceptions about Accents in The Myth of the Non-accent by R. Lippi-Green

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    This chapter focused mainly on misconceptions and attempting to clarify those misconceptions about accents. In the opinion of linguists, accent is a difficult word to define. This is due to the fact that language has variation therefore when it comes to a person having an accent or not, there is no true technical distinction because every person has different phonological aspects to their way of speaking. However, when forced to define this word, it is described as “a way of speaking” (Lippi-Green, 2012, p.44). Although Lippi- Green identified the difficulty linguists have in distinguishing between accent, dialect, and another language entirely, they were able to construct a loose way of distinguishing. Lippi- Green states that an accent can be determined by difference in phonological features alone, dialect can be determined by difference in syntax, lexicon, and semantics alone, and when all of these aspects are different from the original language it is considered another language entirely (Lippi-Green, 2012).

    Read More

  • How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

    1942 Words  | 4 Pages

    .... The problem with this is the fact that through generations , assimilation ends up hurting the family customs and traditions . The accent

    Read More

  • Themes of Language and Racial Identity in Native Speaker, By Chang-Rae Lee

    2640 Words  | 6 Pages

    Chang-Rae Lee’s Native Speaker expresses prominent themes of language and racial identity. Chang-Rae Lee focuses on the struggles that Asian Americans have to face and endure in American society. He illustrates and shows readers throughout the novel of what it really means to be native of America; that true nativity of a person does not simply entail the fact that they are from a certain place, but rather, the fluency of a language verifies one’s defense of where they are native. What is meant by possessing nativity of America would be one’s citizenship and legality of the country. Native Speaker suggests that if one looks different or has the slightest indication that one should have an accent, they will be viewed not as a native of America, but instead as an alien, outsider, and the like. Therefore, Asian Americans and other immigrants feel the need to mask their true identity and imitate the native language as an attempt to fit into the mold that makes up what people would define how a native of America is like. Throughout the novel, Henry Park attempts to mask his Korean accent in hopes to blend in as an American native. Chang-Rae Lee suggests that a person who appears to have an accent is automatically marked as someone who is not native to America. Language directly reveals where a person is native of and people can immediately identify one as an alien, immigrant, or simply, one who is not American. Asian Americans as well as other immigrants feel the need to try and hide their cultural identity in order to be deemed as a native of America in the eyes of others. Since one’s language gives away the place where one is native to, immigrants feel the need to attempt to mask their accents in hopes that they sound fluent ...

    Read More

  • Dialect And Identity In The Documentary American Tongues

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    American Tongues Response EssayThe documentary American Tongues (1987) examines an array of American dialects and accents in all regions of the United States, as well as the perceptions tied to specific ways of speaking. The film does this by interviewing people of multiple ethnicities, geographical locations, education-levels, and socio-economic classes. The information presented in American Tongues makes the audience consider its distinct way of speaking and the insight it may provide to those around them. The film clearly shows that the way individuals speak, as well as the diction they choose to use or eradicate from their vocabulary, is intricately tied

    Read More

  • Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the work of Amy Tan’s “Mother’s Tongue” she provides a look into how she adapted her language to assimilate into American culture. She made changes to her language because her mother heavily relied on her for translation. She was the voice of her mother, relaying information in standard English to those who were unable to understand her mother’s broken english. She tells about her mother’s broken english and its impact on her communication to those outside their culture. Her mothers broken english limited others’ perception of her intelligence, and even her own perception of her mother was scewed: Tan said, “I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mothers ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” (419) The use of standard english was a critical component to Tan’s assimilation into American culture. Standard English was an element she acquired to help her mother but more importantly is was an element that helped in her gain success as a writer. Tan changed her ‘Englishes’ (family talk) to include standard English that she had learnt in school and through books, the forms of English that she did not use at home with her mother. (417-418) Tan realized the ch...

    Read More

  • Amy Tan's 'Mother Tongue' By Paul Roberts

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are two forms of languages; public and private. The "private" language only spoken with family and close intimate relationships. The "public" language used in society, work, and school. Both of these help form two identities, that help us connect and communicate with one another. In the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and also in the article “Speech Communities” by Paul Roberts ,we will see how both private and public language demonstrate how we view, and grow from each language.

    Read More

  • I am Vietnamese, I am American

    3127 Words  | 7 Pages

    Just like the durian, my Vietnamese culture repulsed me as a young child. I always felt that there was something shameful in being Vietnamese. Consequently, I did not allow myself to accept the beauty of my culture. I instead looked up to Americans. I wanted to be American. My feelings, however, changed when I entered high school. There, I met Vietnamese students who had extraordinary pride in their heritage. Observing them at a distance, I re-evaluated my opinions. I opened my life to Vietnamese culture and happily discovered myself embracing it. `

    Read More

  • Learning To Read And Write By Frederick Douglass Analysis

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first and second year after moving from China to the United States, I was afraid to talk to strangers because my English was not very well. I had to depend on my husband for dealing with my personal business, such as making a doctor’s appointment, calling to the bank, or questioning to DMV officers. Douglass says, “being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (62). For myself, being a dependent and helpless adult is a shame. Moreover, I lacked of extra money to go to school to improve my English. Thus, I stayed home all the time to avoid embarrassment of talking to strangers. After a while, I realized that improving English speaking skills are the essential to gain my self-confidence. So, I spent time to read various articles on the internet and watched English dialogues’ videos on YouTube. As a non-English speaking immigrant living in the U.S., I inevitably encountered a series of difficulties to integrate myself into a new

    Read More

  • Gloria Anzaldúa And Mother Tongue Essay

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever been to another country, state, or even city and realized how different your accent may be? Have you been asked to repeat a word or phrase that you may say differently? Sometimes we were asked for a good laugh, but that’s not always the case. In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldúa and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, both authors use personal narrative to demonstrate how their lives and identity are affected by their language and culture.

    Read More

  • Phonetic Accommodation Essay

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Language is a primary distinguisher of social groups, of regional variation, and of attitude towards others; as such, a speaker’s language use is an emblem of their social identity. Phonetic accommodation, i.e, when a speaker varies their pronunciation with respect to an interlocutor, is a tool by which speakers can minimize or emphasize linguistic difference. Through phonetic convergence, this can highlight a shared social identity, or, through phonetic divergence, can designate contrast between one identity and another. Some have suggested that phonetic accommodation is an automatic, inevitable process, surmising that identity is subsequent to it, and not its cause (Trudgill, 2008). However, I will present evidence towards the contrary,

    Read More

  • When Cultures Collide: The Challenges of Raising African Children in a Foreign Country

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another difficulty cultures deal with is language and the way people speak. In some cases, people struggle to belong by making changes in the way they speak the English language just to be assimilated. They attempt to use words and letters, as well as body language that fit in the norm; all in an attempt to denounce their original intonation and style of pronunciation. One ...

    Read More

  • Mother Tongue

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many more differences between my Vietnamese life, and my American life besides the linguistic barrier. At home, I am my mothers' quiet but sassy Vietnamese daughter, who pays respects to her elders, and acts like a lady. In American society, I am quite loud, sometimes obnoxious, a tomboy, and very independent. I believe that people who come from this type of multicultural background benefit greatly from these seemingly embarrassing moments. People who glide back and forth tend to adapt easier to change, we become much more independent, and determined to prove societies bad judgments and misconceptions wrong. Like Tan, many benefit from a "split identity" by learning to accept and appreciate both worlds at full value. So Tan, like so many other multicultural Americans, uses her different linguistic worlds to associate with different cultures.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: US Citizenship

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    Given the hostile atmosphere encompassing people of color, I have become increasingly worried for my family's livelihood. I am the only one, in my family of five, with a U.S citizenship. A U.S citizenship is taken for granted by so many people and it is a must in this country's social and economic infrastructure. Without it, my family has been through many hardships when it comes to jobs and travel. Especially now, given the recent political climate when it comes to immigration, I question why I am lucky enough to have a U.S citizenship. I never really thought about my place in this world until I was introduced to the various prejudices society has placed on my culture.

    Read More

  • Immigrants and Assimilation into American Society

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    In American society, learning to speak English properly is a crucial factor in assimilation. People who have decided to come to America have found it rather difficult to assimilate into American society for several reasons. One reason being that learning a new language is or can be considerably difficult depending on your age. This is so because the act of learning a new language such as English, is much more difficult for an elderly person than for one who has not reached adolescence. According to Grognet, for elderly people there are several factors that affect their willingness to learn. Among those factors are, physical health, mental health, cultural expectations, attitude, motivation and finally the ability to acquire the correct diction, and to suitable articulation (Grognet 296-297). For a person who has not reached the prepubescent age, it is...

    Read More

  • My Cultural-Linguistic Heritage

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    How we speak clearly reveals much about our lives and the immediate society and culture that around us. From my examination of my family’s cultural and linguistic heritage, it seems to me that non-family environment and our peers have the greatest impact on our identities and our linguistic acquisition. It’s therefore not surprising that heritage languages are so rapidly lost by subsequent generations.

    Read More

More about Personal Narrative: Immigrating To The United States

Open Document