Familial cultural immersion and language maintenance among second-generation Iranian immigrants in the United States.

摘要

The aim of this study was to assess whether or not familial cultural immersion and language maintenance impact the development and maintenance of the Persian language and culture among second generation Iranians in the United States. Eighty six first generation Iranians and their children were surveyed to find the contributing factors and correlations between their language maintenance and cultural immersion. The results suggest both were positively correlated for the adolescents; as were parental language maintenance and adolescents' language. Further these results suggest that if parents are able to successfully maintain their Persian language, then their children will be more likely to also develop and maintain their language. The relationships between parents' language maintenance, parent cultural immersion and adolescents' culture are more complex. The results indicate that it is the interaction between the parents' maintenance of their language and culture that predicts whether or not their children will be culturally immersed rather than language maintenance or cultural immersion alone.