Language is a way to communicate with
each other. We started to learn language when we were born. However, people are used to speaking their native language, so immigrants(移民) are having many problems between the first generation and the second generation because they don’t have the same native language. A1so, the second generation is losing their identity. Especially in America, there are many immigrants that came from different countries to succeed in the States. Because they suffer in lots of areas such as getting a job and trying to speak English, they want their children to speak English, not only at school, but also at home in order to be more successful.
For example, my aunt, who has been living in Chicago for fifteen years, has three children and they were all born in the States. The eighteen-year-old daughter speaks English as a native language and she speaks Korean very well too. She has no problem talking with her parents, but she still doesn’t understand Korean jokes, and they are sometimes misunderstandings. The second daughter is fourteen years old, and she doesn’t want to speak Korean. My aunt often gets upset with her because she is very Americanized and they cannot understand each other. Even when my aunt punishes her, this daughter does not understand what my aunt is talking about.
My aunt taught Korean to her children not in order to help them succeed in the U. S.; she did so, hopefully, to help them establish a Korean identity(身份). Though the second generation is born in the new country, they often get confused about their identity because they look different from others, and also, if they visit their parents’ country, they will probably feel different from other people there, too.
We must realize that language is important and valuable for many reasons. Immigrants should make an effort not to be ignored by their children and to make their children understand their heritage(传统) by teaching them the parents’ language. This is very important, not only for the harmony(和谐) of the family, but also in helping the second generation establish their identity.
1.What do you think this article is about?
A. Learning a second language.
B. Immigrants who become homesick in the U. S.
C. Language and its effect on the identity of immigrants.
D. Schools attended by immigrants to the U. S.
2.Which of the following is NOT true about the 18 year old daughter?
A. She was born in the U. S.
B. She speaks only English very well but her Korean is poor.
C. She gets along better with her parents.
D. She doesn’t understand Korean jokes well.
3.To whom does the mother speak Korean?
A. Her oldest daughter only. B. All of her children.
C. Her two daughters only. D. Only to her son.
4.Why did the author’s aunt try to teach her children to speak Korean?
A. To help them succeed in the U. S.
B. To help them find a good job.
C. To help them establish a Korean identity.
D. To help her improve her Korean language skills.
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