Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Preserving language for second-generation community

In the Hispanic and Vietnamese communities (and most or all others), second generation immigrants are losing their native language. Some families are working hard to help their children keep their language. DP

By Chau Nguyen / 11 News

KHOU.com: Southern California’s large Hispanic community is seeing a language shift.
A study finds that the Spanish language is dying out as English becomes the dominant one.

Now, it appears to be happening in Houston, where one immigrant community’s next generation could be losing their language.

At a one deli, Vietnamese food is served and, by in large, ordered in the Vietnamese language.
Young Vietnamese Americans like Le Vu might prefer speaking English, but, “it’s easier to speak to them in Vietnamese that way they don’t get confused if I speak to them in English,” he said.

And it’s a language dilemma that goes beyond this deli.

With the first wave of immigrants being replaced by a second generation comes this question: Are the children of these immigrants losing their language?
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

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