Immigrant Family Strengths: Meeting Communication Challenges

The literature on immigrants punctuates their difficulties with language acculturation and communication. Minimal attention has been given to the diversity of immigrant family communication issues in relation to the receiving communities in which they have lived, and research has not assessed immigr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2002-03, Vol.23 (2), p.266-286
Main Authors: USITA, PAULA M., BLIESZNER, ROSEMARY
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acculturation
Behavior Patterns
Communication
Daughters
Families & family life
Family Relations
Immigrants
Immigration
Interpersonal Communication
Language
Language Acquisition
Language Proficiency
Mother-Adult daughter relationships
Mothers
Parent Child Relations
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Summary:The literature on immigrants punctuates their difficulties with language acculturation and communication. Minimal attention has been given to the diversity of immigrant family communication issues in relation to the receiving communities in which they have lived, and research has not assessed immigrant families' strategies for minimizing communication breakdown. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 immigrant mothers and their adult daughters, we examine language acculturation and communication experience within the context of characteristics of the receiving community. The findings demonstrate the previously hidden complexity of language acculturation and communication experiences within mother-daughter dyads and highlight the variety of problem-solving strategies they employ to maintain strong ties despite language difficulties.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X02023002005