The Impact of English as a Global Lingua Franca on American-born Chinese Families

Abstract

This paper focuses on the increasing role of English as a global lingua franca and its impact on the familial structure of American-born Chinese families. This study examines the struggles they undergo from reconciling their need to preserve their Chinese culture while acclimating to their English-speaking environment. For example, the growing use of English by the younger generation can create a negative rift in the family dynamic of English-speaking children and parents or grandparents who speak very little or no English. This paper examines the factors of this complex situation via interviews with American-born Chinese, and attempts to identify the reasons why certain American-born Chinese are able to retain their parents‟ mother tongue. The study poses three questions: Is there an impact of English as a global lingua franca between the youngest generation and their parents? Is there an impact of English as a global lingua franca between the youngest generation and their grandparents? What are the factors allowing the youngest generation of American-born Chinese to retain their mother tongue?

Keywords

American-born Chinese / Chinese dialects / Chinese-Americans / English as a lingua franca / English as a second language / family generations / family relationship / heritage language / identity / immigration to the U.S. / language loss / language maintenance / language shift

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