Reply Discussion: Mother Tongue Maintenance among North American Ethnic Groups
When responding to student posts, would you mind:
Agree with the students’ post
Focus on their post rather than the initial post submitted .
DIRECTION:
After your initial post, reply to five or more of your classmates’ postings.
Initial responses and replies should be 250-300 words and of high quality.
Make sure to support your responses with facts and resources.
All sources should be cited in proper APA format.
Reply Diana’s post
Mother Tongue Maintenance among North American Ethnic Groups
The use of native languages is a complex subject because it is so comprehensive and revolves around many fragile and fluid variables. One of the most critical variables for the loss or persistence of native languages is residence (Schrauf, 1999). Residency is an important aspect for any population. When people live around or in a community that shares their native language, they will continue to use the native language themselves. That is especially true the more they engage in the group. Simply being around it will have some sort of effect on individuals. The same is true on the opposite end. When individuals are separated from those who share their native tongue, they are less likely to continue the use themselves.
First, they do not have someone to converse with, leaving them unable to truly practice the language. Second, they will be more likely to integrate with the others in their residence and lose the use of their own native language. They are also going to be less likely to pass on that language, further hindering its persistence.
Another factor is the practicing of religion (Schrauf, 1999). Religion is in close proximity to residency because both form a community. When people gather to practice the same religion, they are forming a community that interacts and works together, which helps further use of the native language. When they do not practice religion together, they are not going to have that same opportunity for connection. The variable of festivals relates to these as well, because both residency and religion are gathering places where festivals can be used to celebrate and keep alive native languages.
Losing or attaining one’s native language certainly has a significant impact on the degree of acculturation or assimilation. Native languages are used as tools to connect with others who share the same culture. It is a large part of cultures and use or disuse will impact the degree of assimilation greatly. When an individual speaks their native tongue, they can gather and share that with others who do as well. They form a bond and a strong community from that. When they do not speak that mother tongue, they are not going to feel that same connection and they may have a harder time fitting in. It may be easier for those individuals to move to different groups and make connections with them, leaving their native language behind. Losing a native language can cause a disconnect and leave an individual feeling that they do not belong. Attaining a native language is like opening a new world to an individual, allowing them insider access to a group that they now belong to, one that they can then form ties and bonds to.
