Joohwan Kim

Professor Carlisi
ESL 033B
09 APR 2015
MiscommunicationbetweenAsianAmericanFamilyMembers
ThesisStatement: AsianAmericanparentshavetobemoreacculturatedinAmerican
culture, and Asian American children who were born in United States have to learn
originalculturetounderstandtheirparentsiftheywanttomanagemiscommunications
betweenthem.
DetailedOutline
I.

Introduction
A. Background: Cultural generation gaps between the first and second
generationofAsianAmericansoccursveryoften.
1. AhighpercentageofAsianAmericanadolescentshavedifficulties
causedbydifferencesbetweentheirparentsandthem(Hwang204).
2. AsianAmericanparentswanttomaintainthewayofthinkingthat
theylearnedfromtheirhomecountry,anditmakesconflicts(Richard
MLee211).3rdarticle

B. Oneofthemostdifferentaspectsbetweenthefirstandsecondgenerationof
AsianAmericansiscommunicationstyle.
II.

Differentcommunicationstylethatcauseconflictbetweengenerations
A. Verbalcommunicationstyle
1. AsianAmericanchildrendontlearntheiroriginallanguagefromformal
education.
a. Asian American children access American schooling easily,
andtheylearnEnglishfasterthantheirparents(RichardMLee
211).3rdarticle&(Hwang399)
b. AsianAmericanchildrenhavefewopportunitiestousetheir
parentslanguageoutsidethehome,sotheyloseproficiencyof
it.(Hwang399)
2. Asian American parents have fewer opportunities to improve English
proficiencythanimmigrantchildren.
a. Especially,AsianAmericanparents whodidntgetahigher
educationlearnEnglishveryslow(RichardMLee209).3rd
article
b. SomeofAsianAmericanparentsforcetheirchildrentolearn
theirnativelanguageandculture.(YingandPeterA.Lee195)
B. Nonverbalcommunicationstyle

1. Asian American children learn more liberal communication style from

mainstreamAmericanculture(Hwang400).
2. AsianAmericanparentscamefromculturesthatemphasizeonindirect
contextcommunication(Hwang400).
III.

Conflictsthatcomefrommiscommunication
A. Generationgapcausedbyseveranceofverbalcommunication
1. Asian American children whose first language is English cant share
enoughemotionswiththeirparents,andmake disconnection whenthey
haveconversationonhighlycomplexsubject(Hwang399).
2. AsianAmericanparentswhohavelimitedEnglishproficiencywanttheir
childrentolearntheirnativelanguage,butsomeofchildrenrefusetodo
that(YingandPeterA.Lee196).
B. Generationgapcausedbyseveranceofnonverbalcommunication
1. AsianAmericanparentsandchildrenhavedifferentattitudetoexpress
theiremotions
a. Asian American children misunderstand more controlled
emotionalexpressionoftheirparents,astheyareemotionally
cold(Hwang400).
b. AsianAmericanparentsalsomisinterpretliberalexpressionof
theirchildrenasbeinglackingemotionalcontrolortooneedy
(Hwang400)&(RichardM.Lee3904tharticle).

2. Differences between highcontext (indirect) and lowcontext (direct)

communicationstylealsocauseconfusions.
C. Howdoesgenerationgapaffectstheirlife?
1. Itcausesmentalproblemanddepression(Hwang405).
2. Asian Americans have difficulties declaring their ethnic identity and
keeping social cohesion with majority groups (Ying and Peter A. Lee
196).
IV.

Possibilities that Asian Americans solve the problems caused by

miscommunication
A. AsianAmericanchildren
1. AsianAmericanchildrenhavetodevelopunderstandingtheirparents
originalcultureandlanguage(RichardMLee2193rdarticle).
2. AsianAmericanchildrenhavetounderstandnotonlyhardworksand
sacrifice of the first generation, but also desire to involve in their
ethnicgroup(Hwang405).
B. AsianAmericanparents
1. AsianAmericanparents needto bemoreacculturated inAmerican
culture including learning English (Richard M Lee 211, 219 3rd
article).

2. AsianAmericanparentsneedtounderstandhowpeoplewhoarein
mainstream American culture express their emotions and thinking
(Hwang406).
V.

Conclusion
AsianAmericanparentsandchildrenneedtolearnbothEnglishandtheir
originallanguage,andmakemoreeffortsunderstanddifferenceinnonverbal
communicationstyletoovercomeconflictscausedbymiscommunication.