Language barrier has disadvantages

ANI AMIRKHANIAN

I’d like to take the opportunity to respond to a reader who recently

posed a question that I think is worth considering, and perhaps offer

some insight that I hope will be of value to other readers, as well.

In my last column, I painted a somewhat sad and maybe even grim

picture of Sarkis, the boy who was unable to read, and his mother,

who, after living in this country for some 20 years spoke in broken

English, had no idea the predicament her son was in due to his

inability to read.

The question posed by the reader was, simply, why don’t Armenians

make it their priority to learn English when they first come to this

country? Really, there is no clear-cut answer to this question. I can

only offer some insight as to why many Armenian immigrants do not

learn the language based on what I have observed living among the

Armenian community.

Before I share some of my observations, it’s important to keep in

mind the history of the immigrants who settled in the United States,

beginning with the European emigration of the 18th and 19th

centuries.

Many European immigrants -- for example Germans and Italians --

first arrived in the United States when there were no German or

Italian communities here. Many Europeans emigrated all at once, and

immersed themselves in the American society and learned the English

language, while at the same time raising children who also learned to

speak English.

Armenian immigrants arrived in segments. Several influxes of

emigration took place in different decades as Armenians left the land

they called home in order to resist social, political and even

religious persecution.

As a side note, keep in mind that Armenians were and still are

dispersed throughout the world. Iranian Armenians, for example,

arrived in the United States, or more specifically California, after

the Islamic Revolution of 1979, while a handful left the country in

the 1960s prior to the revolution. Lebanese Armenians had to flee a

civil war in their country during the early 1970s.

Armenians from Armenia, however, began emigrating in 1991, and

were the last of the Armenians to leave their country, after the

collapse of the communist regime in the former USSR. Many of those

Armenians came to Glendale and settled in an Armenian community

established decades prior.

Armenians who arrived in the United States in the 1990s had a

“safety net” created by the existing community that their European

counterparts did not.

Armenians in Glendale have always maintained their ethnic identity

by establishing a community where they can feel at home with other

Armenians who speak their language. The ability to communicate in the

same language allows them to maintain that identity.

Although language establishes the bond, it also deters many

Armenians from going outside of the community. Many Armenians, like

many other minorities, have become so conditioned to living within

their own community -- in order to maintain their identity -- that

they have never found the need to learn English.

As a result, their daily lives are spent within the community.

These Armenians shop at local Armenian-owned markets and work in

Armenian-owned businesses. They buy their cars from Armenian-owned

dealers, hire Armenian attorneys and visit Armenian doctors for their

healthcare needs.

A pattern emerges: Those Armenians who never learn English, or

even attempt to do so, feel no need to acquire another language.

Although it can be said they are not socially conscious, or even

make an effort to be, about the outside world, it’s arguable that

that’s due to the feeling of comfort that comes with relating to

one’s ethnic identity.

I applaud Armenians who make the effort to learn English and

venture out of their tight-knit community. They take jobs outside of

the community, work for non-Armenian employers, and socialize with

people of other backgrounds and cultures.

I am even tempted to say many Armenians resist learning the

language. Some -- especially the older generation -- might think they

are too old to learn a new language or go to school.

Whatever the case might be, a language barrier does have

disadvantages, especially for Armenian youths who need to rely on

language skills for their careers and professions.

Then again, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Future

generations of U.S.-born Armenians no doubt will learn and embrace

the English language with ease.

* ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a resident of Glendale, a graduate of USC and

a freelance writer. Reach her at anisaccount@yahoo.com.