I Am An American Teenager With An Hispanic Background

Different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate due to of a lack of understanding or knowledge of one another’s background and culture. This could be through their race, religion, ethnicity or where they come from. Each one of these can have similar or very different ways to communicate. For example

One type of communication barrier can occur during intercultural conversations. Intercultural communication is characterized as interactions that occur between people whose cultures are so different that the communication is altered (Verderber, 2014). With Jin being the only non-English speaker on the island,

The Asian/Pacific American community is very diverse. According to Shusta et al., (p. 137, 2015) the Asian/Pacific American designation consists of at least 40 distinct ethnic and cultural groups. These groups can differ in language, background, culture, and life experiences (Shusta, et al., p. 144, 2015). Language barriers and cultural differences can create misunderstandings between the Asian/Pacific American community and law enforcement officers. Language barriers can be eliminated by gaining assistance from language bank resources, interpreters, or other officers who speak Asian/Pacific dialects (Shusta, et al., p. 144, 2015). Cultural differences can cause some verbal and non-verbal

This class has not only reinforced my cultural beliefs, but it has also challenged some preconceived notions of all cultures. I am a first generation Mexican American. My parents were born in Mexico and came to American 25 years ago. In contrast, I was born and raised in California with my older and younger brother. My brothers and I constantly struggled between two distinctive cultural norms— the Mexican culture, and the American culture. My parents are from a small town called San Juan De Los Lagos in Jalisco, Mexico. San Juan is centered on religion¬– it is the home of La Virgin De San Juan, Henceforth, both of my parents were reinforced with strict religious values. My mother attended an all girls catholic primary school. My father was less fortunate and had to attend public primary school, however, since San Juan is grounded on religion, public schools also integrated reliogious values. My parents constantly compare and complain about the lack of values schools in the Unites States teach in their curriculum. Things like: respect your elders, and proper etiquette skills. Due to stricter boundaries here in the U.S, I can see why integrated such things can become problematic. For example, both of my parents experienced physically getting scolded with a ruler for things like: talking back to professors, being disruptive, and even for having dirty fingernails or a messy appearance. Although my parents were raised in strict catholic environments, they have not reinforced

Although our society is slowly developing a more accepting attitude toward differences, several minority groups continue to suffer from cultural oppression. In her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldúa explores the challenges encountered by these groups. She especially focuses on her people, the Chicanos, and describes the difficulties she faced practicing her mother tongue. She argues that for many years, the dominant American culture has silenced their language. She claims that by forcing them to speak English and attempting to eliminate their accents, the Americans have robbed the Chicanos of their identity. She also addresses the issue of low self-esteem that results from this process of acculturation. Growing up in the United States, Anzaldúa says she had to accommodate to the American culture. The fact that she was discouraged from practicing her native language induced her to become ashamed of her roots. In addition, she explains that she constantly felt suppressed on account of her gender. By incorporating Spanish words, powerful personal anecdotes and historical facts about her people, Anzaldúa produces a unique composition in which she depicts an unfair and repressive world and reprimands the prejudices that hinder certain cultures from flourishing and establishing themselves.

I am a first generation Mexican-American that comes from humble beginnings and was instilled to work hard to achieve ones dreams. My parents are humble, earnest, and hardworking people that immigrated to the United States in search of a better tomorrow for themselves and for their loved ones back home. Coming to this country was not easy, for they faced many obstacles in getting here and then assimilating into a culture where they knew no one and did not know the language.

All communication is cultural. It draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always communicate the same way from day to day, since factors like individual personality, mood, and the context of the situation interact with the variety of cultural influences we have internalized that influence our choices. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. Do they hear and understand what we are trying to say? Are they listening well? Are we listening well in response? Do their responses show that they understand the words and the meanings behind the words we have chosen? Is the mood positive and receptive? Is there trust between them and us? Are there differences that relate to ineffective communication, divergent goals or interests, or fundamentally different ways of seeing the world? The answers to these questions will give us some clues about the effectiveness of our communication and the ease with which we may be able to move through conflict. The challenge is that even with all the good will in the world, miscommunication is likely to happen, especially when there are significant cultural differences between communicators. Miscommunication may lead to conflict, or aggravate conflict that already exists, or in the sad of case of girl developing epilepsy and both her parent’s Hmong culturally clashing with her Western medicine

There are a lot of barriers that existence within human nature. The most profound barrier that exists is the language barrier. As human, we are met to communicate with one another. Without communication, there is simply no connection. A language barrier draws imagery line between people to make them feel distant on a deeper level. The frustration rushes through one’s brain when he or she realizes that they have a mouth but cannot utilize it to get their point across. There is a great deal of frustration to be misunderstood due to the restraint and limitation the knowing words and of trying to piece these words together to properly express oneself. In this paper, I will explain the effect and frustration of boundaries between people and how there are ways to try to get rid of that profound barrier.

Many barriers can evolve from people who grow up with no formal education, who only speaking their local dialect, and who have little exposure to people who are different from them. Ethnic people who can acquire a formal education, practice biculturalism, and code switch are able to be much more successful in life. It is a well-known fact that having a formal education has a major impact on a person’s earning potential and life success. Needing to understand and navigate cultures other than one’s own culture is another critical life skill. This is common thread of Dr. King, Fredrick Douglas, Amy Tan’s and myself.

The study presented by Umaña-Taylor and Yazedjian examines an interesting and much needed look at the contrasts and comparisons between seventy-five different families with first and second generation Mexican and Puerto Rican mothers. The authors present the need for this study by explaining that there is little known about the “theoretical and empirical “practices of these families and how they maintain their ethnic diversities despite challenges of living in a hybrid melting-pot country. The literature provided includes how mothers present their culture to their children, and also how their children respond and integrate a broadening cultural duality.

Since then, my communication modalities and cultural perspectives have always been in constant change, according to the pressures experienced in my environment. The first military unit I was assigned to was all African-American and as such my communicative identity has been shaped by a second upbringing, so to speak. My follow-on assignment was with nearly all Caucasians from America’s deep south. Both immersion experiences reshaped many aspects of my adult life and the years ahead. By experiencing first-hand, the similarities and differences in two very different racial groups I quickly began to adopt, what I thought to be acutely identifiable styles, the most effective communication practices within the two

Based on both my PRICA self-assessment and GENE scale scores, it appears that I have high intercultural communication apprehension, regardless of ones culture and I would have to say that I am definitely not surprised by this result. I have been lucky enough to be raised in a diverse community in Northern California where various different cultures interact on a regular basis. Not only is this the norm, but because of the diversity, people in my community embrace the melting pot of cultures. I believe that understanding cultures other than my own is a big advantage especially when we fathom different ideas that we are not necessarily familiar with. Another asset that having a wider understanding for intercultural communication brings is when

Being a young hispanic Latina I have always defined myself as Guatemalan but born in America. My mother has always taught me to appreciate my roots and where I originate from, so at home my mom made a rule in which I could only speak spanish. But most of all how important it was for me to speak a different language rather then just english, although that meant being the only form of helping my mother communicate with the outside world. Growing up, I realized that my mother relied on me to understand what doctors, teachers, and even some reading said because of how unlikely it was for a spanish translator. Throughout the years I have experienced racial discrimination, symbolic violence, and even how social cultural environment has a major affect

Portrayed in Chris Cleave’s novel Little Bee and the article, “Challenges Faced by Immigrant Teens,” it is nearly impossible to form long lasting bonds with someone who has cultural differences from your own. One cannot form long lasting bonds with someone from another culture because prejudices are so ingrained. People scowl at anyone who is a different color than their own. People are labeled. There are so many different stereotypes

In America, finding yourself in situations where communicating with someone of a different background than yourself is common. We are a melting pot of different cultures, backgrounds, and identities. Throughout the semester we have learned many ways to avoid conflict when engaging in intercultural communication. The most important aspects from the semester is the idea of generalization and ethnocentrism. These two ideas were displayed in the movie Crash and how the effects of it can lead to misunderstandings among everyone involved.