Immigrant Family Research Paper

Use of Native Languages in Immigrant Families.
Because of many political processes, and economic reasons in different countries, many people have to leave their native countries and settle down in new places. Of course, they bring knowledge of their first language and culture. In their home, their children should acquire the new language and assimilate into the new culture. In addition, people have a possibility to retain native language in their families. Unfortunately, the majority of immigrant children have a tendency not to learn their parents language. They can’t speak this language, and, obviously, they don’t know how to read or write. These facts bring many people to the next question. Should immigrant parents speak their native language with their children? Here are some reasons why immigrant parents should teach their children their native language.
First of all, knowledge of parents’ native language is the only effective tool for communicating with all their relatives.
It is some kind of a bridge with relatives, who are the closest people in their lives. It is important to have a relationship with distant family that might be still in the country of origin. Moreover, children can visit the grandparents’ house, and they can communicate with them without any problems. For example, I have one friend who doesn’t know at all the language of his parents. The problem was beginning to exist, when he needed to talk to his distant relatives. Indeed, my friend doesn’t understand his distant relatives, nor his relatives don’t understand him. In such a case he has to use different ways to communicate with them, that is not so convenient. That is why so important for immigrant parents to teach children their native language. If children don’t know the native language of relatives, they will not be able to communicate with them
freely.
The second reason is the advantage of bilingual education. It is widely believed that if people can speak two languages, it will help them in future. In particular, it will benefit them in the business field with a possibility of having a business in both countries, and also in work areas that require foreign-speaking people. For instance, I know one friend who knows two languages, English and Russian. As it has been noted, bilingual education benefited her. She found a job in the bank, where she has to speak two languages Russian and English. It was really good opportunity for her, because she could apply her knowledge of two languages. She had many possibilities for communicating with a wider number of people, what is, undoubtedly, important in the business world.
The third important reason is a psychological reason. Children of immigrants should know the language of their relatives, because it is also their heritage. Moreover, they should be proud of the culture of their parents. For example, I know one friend who speaks the language of his ancestors. Moreover, he is very knowledgeable about the Russian culture, about the Russian literacy. The Russian language allows him to be in touch with the Russian contemporary culture. While many people are asking him about Russian culture, he feels absolutely confident answering all these questions. In other words, he doesn’t feel ashamed while answering questions about the Russian culture. In my opinion, nothing can help you to understand the tradition and culture more than the ability to speak a native language of this country.
Of course, some people argue about all these points. For example, they might think that immigrant parents should teach their children only English language due to the fact that they live in an English-speaking country. They argue that if immigrant parents teach their children two languages, it will result in an overload in children’s brains. However, this statement is not correct, because we can see today many successful examples of children speaking both languages at an early age with no issues. On the contrary, many researchers have proved that learning two or more languages at an early age has nothing but a positive effect on the intelligence of a child.
To summarize, learning the native language of immigrant parents is very important and has a positive effect on a child. Children will get many positive effects, if they learn the native language of their parents. They have a possibility to communicate effectively with their distant relatives. Furthermore, they have great business or work opportunities in an area where both languages are spoken. If they go to the native country of their parents, they will feel more confident while speaking with people. Last but not least is the heritage and native culture of their parents. Consequently, parents should speak their native language with their children.