Language that Binds Us

Final Presentation
Melissa, Netty, Rachel, Surita

Background

Cantonese
Hong Kong, Guangdong province
Standard Spoken and Written Chinese
Language Law (2001)
The Cantonese Pacific

Hebrew
5 million speakers worldwide, majority in
Israel
Language status: 1 (national)
Official language along with Arabic in
Israel
First efforts made to revive Hebrew as a
everyday language were made in the mid
19th century
o Eliezer Ben-Yehuda
o Hebrew started out as more of a
pidgin language to serve as a
common language for those who
spoke Yiddish and Ladino

Gujarati
Worldwide 65.5 million speakers
West Indian region of Gujarat
High- Skilled workers
1965 & 1990 Immigration Acts

Amharic
22-25 million speakers worldwide
official language of Ethiopia
o

Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya

also spoken in Eritrea,

Sweden, Canada, US
mutually intelligible dialects
taught in <50% of Ethiopian schools

Community Presence

Cantonese
Individually organized meetups (tea,
mahjong, cards)
Chinese Information and Service Center
(CISC)
UW Hong Kong Association

Hebrew
Hillel at UW (building on 17th Ave)
o weekly shabbat dinners, social events, service projects, free gym, and holiday
events
o open to anyone who wants to come!
o offers Hebrew classes
o Cafe LeVine is open 4:30-9:30pm M-Th, entirely Kosher
Jewish Studies Major and Classes offered at UW
o sat in on Hebrew 423 taught by Professor Tovi
o observations: small class size (about 7 people), large age range, majority
female, encouraged to speak in Hebrew at all times but communicated in
English to each other
BBYO (Bnai Brith Youth Organization)
o Jewish youth group for students 8th-12th grade
o BBG (Bnai Brith Girls) and AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph)

Gujarati
Gurukul School-Manish Jain
I often volunteer my time for this
community. I do it because I believe that
it is one of my duties as a part of Gurukul
and as a member of our community
here

Childcare-Kusum Chohan
When I came to the United States I

think it was important to keep my

language, and for my children to learn.
Although I run the daycare and speak
English, with my family I speak Gujarati
more often

Amharic
Ethiopian Community in Seattle
o

legal/employment/childcare resources

UW African Student Association

WA State Transitional Bilingual
Education Program
Newspapers, churches, restaurants

Maintenance / Future

Cantonese
Dominant form of Chinese in US Chinatowns
o

Currently, relatively more open relations with China

attracts more Mandarin-speaking immigrants

Fear of generational divide

o

Heritage students are placed in non-heritage track

classes to learn Mandarin

Cantonese Day (July 25th)

Hebrew
Birthright (also known as Taglit-Birthright Israel as taglit is
Hebrew for the word discovery)
o A non-for-profit educational organization that sponsors
a completely free ten-day heritage trips to Israel for
young, Jewish adults between the ages of 18-26
o Most participants who go are visiting Israel for the first
time and are encourage to learn more about their
identity and find connection to Jewish history and
culture
Interview with David Lizzo at UW Hillel on maintenance of
Hebrew based on his experience in Israel

Gujarati
Maintaining vs. Integrating
Sociological Influences
AN ACOUSTIC STUDY OF FIRST- AND SECONDGENERATION GUJARATI IMMIGRANTS IN
WEMBLEY: EVIDENCE FOR ACCENT
CONVERGENCE?-2007, University College London,
U.K
Speakers are able to change their accent across their

lifespan
...in London English, inter-ethnic contact is one of the
main sources of innovation

[My brother and I] never really worried about [having

an accent] because we only really spoke english with our
mom. So like, 90% of the other time we were speaking
English with our friends

Amharic
Beemnet Workeneh: still common to speak with
family/friends
Numbers of Amharic-speaking ELL students are
increasing
Culture is maintained through
churches/restaurants/neighborhoods
Spreading the language requires strengthening
ECIS/language learning opportunities

Art / Language
Representation

Cantonese Opera
Merging of Eastern and
Western elements
Complex plot lines, dramatic
costumes/makeup, etc.
Shows history of Hong Kong
o Some divide between HK
and mainland opera
Luck Ngi Musical Society

Hebrew Foods

Gujarati
Leela Kathak

Amharic

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