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The struggles of Generation 1.5 ©

The hidden price tag of learning a second language

By Joy Kim

earning a second language is a truly enlightening experience, yet a very frustrating process for sure. As a second language speaker myself, I can attest to this. Today, in North America, and especially in the multicultural city of Vancouver, there are different groups of second language speakers—newcomers, skilled immigrants, international students and naturalized citizens (who were not born in Canada but acquired Canadian citizenship). As a society, we are pretty much aware of the difficulties and struggles new immigrants and international students face in adjusting to a new culture and learning a new language. We are even aware of the struggles that the second generation of these immigrants face—thanks to people who’ ve shared their personal stories and helped other immigrants. Unfortunately, we are not as well informed about the unique set of challenges Generation 1.5 faces. First of all, who is Generation 1.5? Generation 1.5 consists of bilingual or multilingual immigrants and citizens who immigrated when they were young and therefore went through the elementary or high school systems in North America. For this reason, they are able to speak English fairly fluently, albeit with a slight accent. Since they’ ve grown up in North America, they are familiar with the culture, traditions, norms, pop culture, entertainment, and way of life. To them, learning the new language means learning the culture, beliefs and values, which in pragmatics (study of language) is called learning the ideology. In essence, Generation 1.5 learns and accepts the ideology behind the English language along with acquiring and learning the language itself. As a result, they learn to think like North Americans or in other words, they are westernized. For instance, to second language speakers, learning how to use articles like native speakers is almost an impossible thing to nail down. Many of their first languages don’t have

articles to start with and therefore, they have no concept of articles. They need to develop the concept as well as how native speakers of English view certain nouns as either

second language speakers learn new concepts and unlearn some old concepts from their native languages and cultures. Being bicultural and bilingual (for some, multicultural

parents.

countable or non-countable. Take the word “advice” for example. Although advice is something we can count, native speakers don’t say “three advices.” They say “three pieces of advice” or “some advice.” However, they do say “three suggestions,” “three ideas,” and “three concepts;” not “three pieces of suggestion or idea or concept.” So, second language speakers who think advice is something they can count, need to make a conscious effort to remember it doesn’t need an “s” at the end. Word by word, they learn to think more like native speakers.

By being immersed in an English-speaking environment,

and multilingual) definitely enriches Generation 1.5’s experience and they even enjoy easily moving back and forth between distinctively different cultures. However, the downside

to this is the identity crisis they experience, especially as teenagers who are vulnerable to emotional and cultural pressures. At home, they speak their home languages and experience home cultures, while at school and work, they speak their second language, immersed in the North American culture.

While Generation 1.5 teenagers struggle to form their true identities, it’s common for them to experience confusion, frustration, and even self-

rejection at some point. Until they come to terms with their bicultural and multicultural identities, they can reject having anything to do with their home cultures, refuse to speak in their first languages with family and refuse to eat ethnic food at home,

Until they come to terms with their bicultural and multicultural identities, #!! of which certainly affect their Generation 1.5 teenagers may reject having anything to do with their ; : i home cultures, refuse to speak in their first languages with family and ‘ty their best to be more like their refuse to eat ethnic food at home, all of which certainly affect their

parents. In the face of confusion, they

North American peers.

As the quest for finding one’s place in the world is essential and inevitable, there’s a great need for people who understand the unique emotional pain and confusion Generation 1.5 faces. I’m sure their parents who face new cultural, linguistic, and financial challenges themselves, aren’t the first ones to know how to help their children.

As a society, especially in Vancouver where it’s becoming more multicultural with new immigrants flooding in, it’s time we become more aware of the struggles Generation 1.5 faces and provide help and resources to assist them in finding their unique identities in order to enable them to see that learning a second language is truly an enriching experience.

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