I am a 23 year old, male, first generation Hmong-American descendent. Hmong is my native language. In this case study, I will explore Second Language Acquisition (SLA) key concepts through my personal testimony as a second language learner in America. Student’s History and Linguistic background in First language When I turned eight, I discovered that English was an essential tool in my life, and no longer resent from it. As a Hmong child to three siblings and a single mother, it is tradition for
safety and sanctuary from his war ravaged country. The book that we read in class about refugees was a case study that considered the plight of the Hmong in Wisconsin. The Hmong are refugees from Laos who fled after US forces pulled out of the Vietnam War. I also read a book about the Hmong that dealt with a case study in California and a little girl of Hmong descent that encountered great difficulties with the medical institutions after she was diagnosed with Epilepsy.
know of the language and race of the Hmong people. The language of Hmong is spoken mainly in the southern Asia and the United States by the Hmong people (Hmong Daw). Hmong is considered to be part of the Hmong-Mien language family, and is spoken by four million people (McGuigan). It is considered to be closely related to the Mien language, but is a minority language in Southeast Asia (Hmong). In this essay, you will learn the history, dialects, orthology, and typology of the Hmong language. Most information
the “less fortunate.” Through understanding America’s so called “duty” in Vietnam one can interpret the intervention of American idealism in the life of a Hmong family. Lia lee, a little Hmong girl, has a severe case of epilepsy. She is the daughter of Nao Kao and Foua lee who are among the many Hmong refugees that fled to the U.S. The Hmongs are very simple and proud people. They take pride in the fact that they have never been ruled by anyone. Even though they have been driven away and separated
The Hmong Culture The Hmong Culture of South Asia is a very interesting ethnic group. Between 300,000 to 600,000 Hmong live in Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. About 8 million more live in the southern provinces of China. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia have settled in Australia, France, Canada, and the United States. The largest Hmong refugee community lives in the United States with a population of about 110,000
The cultures between the Swedish and the Hmong people follow a similar path of struggle, conforming, and success. The Swedish people struggled from famine and needed a place to go to where jobs were abundant. While the Hmong also struggled from war and the after effects of war. These struggles brought a group of people with different cultures to one country, America. America became a place of refuge and a place to prosper. Many of the people succeeded in getting high paying jobs and would help America
Tradition is defined in the dictionary as the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs and beliefs. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I believe has two main topics addressed: the traditions of the Hmong people, and the dangers of being unable to communicate. The misunderstanding of these two consequential points, I believe caused the majority of conflict that arose. Can tradition prevent open-mindedness? Lia's parents reasoning of her seizures as "not so much a medical
country --- especially when it comes to treating patients medicinally or through more traditional ways. The conflict occurs in The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman, when the culture of western medicine collides with Hmong practices. A daughter of a Hmong family, Lia, suffers from epilepsy and is brought to the Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC) to seek treatments that will alleviate the symptoms of her seizures. While the doctors and parents try to find ways to help Lia, they
Begin? A Hmong American Literary Anthology” uses poems and short stories to show real experiences from Hmong-American writers, who survived through war, persecution, and exile. Endings”, by May Lee Yang, “In the End” and The last drops” by Soul Choj Vang, follow different types of endings, as one emphasizes the importance of endings in language, while the other expresses the ending of Hmong tradition. Through the literal sense in poems, endings
After the Vietnam War, in 1975, thousands of Hmong refugees immigrated to the United States, granted asylum for their participation in the war and in hope for a better future. Today, the children of those refugees and the first generations born on American soil face a variety of challenges, particularly in our public school system. In order to succeed in the Public School system and beyond to higher education, the complications of their educational situation needs to be addressed and changed.(Vang
Hmong Generational Differences: This research paper focuses on the identification of the generational differences within the Hmong culture, elucidating generations in America that are considered the major division that identify within the Hmong community appropriately. There are a few distinguishing common, yet complex challenges of living within their culture between the older and younger generations. Based on the studies of psychosocial perspectives today’s modern Hmong group and their distinctive
to offer more information along those same lines. During the first day of ESL academy, I realized the inadequacy of my knowledge concerning the needs of ELL students and how woefully lacking my instruction had been for former students whose first language was not English. Partici...
cultural biases was The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Faldiman. I found it helpful to use Google maps to get a visual of the location Hmong refugees came from in Laos and mentally trace their journey across the Pacific to settle in Merced, CA. There are two main cultures discussed in this book which includes the subordinate Hmong Lee family and the dominant White American doctors who tried to help Lia with her medical or spirit issues depending on which culture you asked. Faldiman
History of Hmong Clothing Hearing the guns shooting and running quickly through the forest with love ones trying to escape the Vietnam War, the Hmong people flee to cross the Mekong River. When crossing the river, many of the Hmong people died trying to save lives of others due to the battlefield the people were on. As the war ended in 1975, families that had escaped the war started their new life here, in the United States. Many Hmong people today still embrace their culture (“Hmong Needlework”)
discuss is Hmong culture/family, language barriers, and epilepsy. I will talk about the main points, a brief reflection on the doctor’s take on this situation and the theme sometimes you can’t control the outcome of situations. The first thing we discussed in our presentation was Hmong culture and family. This particular main point was the longest covered because it was so much information on Hmong culture. We covered how Hmong culture is a clan based and very family oriented. The Hmong
journey of a Hmong refugee family as they flee from the jungles of Laos to Thailand refugee camps and the processes of transition and assimilation in the United States. Yang explains that as she becomes aware of her cultural heritage she is motivated to preserve the endangered stories of the Hmong people. Her grandmother serves as the author’s largest resource, but the memoir also includes recollections from other family members as they recount the arduous and horrific odyssey of a Hmong refugee.
story voices the story of the Hmong people and their plight. From every stage of their journey, from the mountainous jungles of Southeast Asia to the freezing winter of Minnesota, Yang and the Hmong were compelled to redefine their identity, willingly or unwillingly. While growing up, Yang’s parents would often ask her, “’What are you?’ and the right answer was always, ‘I am Hmong.’” (Yang, 1) For “Hmong” to be the right answer, then what does it mean to be “Hmong”? From the personal story shared
Fall Down is a ethnography written by Anne Fadiman. The first chapter of the book introduces readers to the cultural conflict between American doctors and Hmong by describing in detail the aspects of birth in both cultures. Heavy emphasis is placed on how the Hmong deal with placentas and their baby naming ceremony. Many details behind the Hmong culture rise and naturally this leads to conflict. Baby Lia begins to develop epilepsy and her parents take this as a symbol of divinity while the doctors
The Hmong people are well known for their survival antics from their silent war with China and their migration from the Vietnam War. Hmong is a term many have never even heard of but their culture it is known as "free people." Hmong textiles has survived just like their whole culture. The attractive handcrafted designs have been in their history for over two centuries, and their embroideries are popular among the Asian countries as well as the United States. Hmong textiles includes a variety of embroideries
War changes men. When it comes to sacrificing for a country, it is presumed that surviving combat could make a man appreciate life, aspire to important things, and value effort and determination. In short, it could make a man take advantage of the great second chance he had been given and work to find both large and small ways to contribute to the public good. Yet despite this assumption, the horror of death had scarred the lives of many war veterans, obviating them from the joy of living. Clint