Female Immigrants and Language Acquisition

Female Immigrants and Language Acquisition

There has been an increase in migration among the population across the world (Jia, Gottardo, & Ferreira, 2017). Individuals have continuously moved away from their home countries. Such movements have been associated with conflicts, economic considerations, and search for opportunities, among other aspects. The female population represents a significant portion of the people who move and reside in other nations. Such a segment of the population, together with children, represents the vulnerable immigrants who might be quickly affected by the environment of the host countries. One of the challenges that female individuals face is the acquisition of the second language that is spoken by the natives. It is a critical step during their stay and integration with the local communities. The paper discusses the acquisition of such second languages among the female immigrants as well as how it affects their livelihoods.

Second Language

The female immigrants, as well as other immigrants, are always in continuous pressure regarding the learning of the native language. Such pressures are articulated to a variety of factors that are paramount in the host country. The natives usually consider the inability to learn the language as an act of resistance (Adsera & Pytlikova, 2016). It is regarded that such immigrants still maintain the cultural ties with their home countries. Therefore, they face further difficulties in their interactions with the natives of the host countries. As a result, the female immigrants are left with no other option but to find ways of learning the second language. It helps in speeding up the integration process in their new environments.

The millions of immigrants who move to other countries serve a variety of roles, including working, being community members, and family caregivers. For instance, female ones play a critical role in their families. Such tasks require them to learn and master the second language of their specific new homes. It facilitates their social integration with the rest of the population, both the natives and other immigrants. The female immigrants need to be enrolled in classes as soon as possible to help them acquire the specific second languages. Enrolment to such training would ensure that they receive the necessary skills and knowledge to keep them running as they increase fluency of the underlying languages (Kristen, Muhlau, & Schacht, 2016). However, the majority of the female immigrants find it difficult to be enrolled in such programs because of the unfavorable financial considerations. Apart from school-based learning, female immigrants can initiate family-based education. For instance, every evening, immigrant families can embark on the spelling of words and reading books written in the respective second languages.

There is a need for advocating and promotion of second language learning amongst all the immigrants to make them quickly adapt to the new environment abroad. The female foreigners should concentrate on such languages to help them understand the civic requirements as well as employment terms associated with the underlying host country. For instance, immigrants can learn English in the United States that would enable them to comprehend the neutralization test requirements. Such a test involves answering specific civic questions by the immigrants as they apply for citizenship. An individual has to pass six of the ten questions asked. As far as they consider the second language in the host countries, it is also essential for them not to forget their home country traditions and cultures. Merging of the two aspects would be beneficial for their stay in host countries in the long run (Nelson, 2020). Learning of the second language enables the female immigrants to feel as part and parcel of their new residence. The inability to speak and effectively communicate with the locals makes the immigrants feel isolated, and out of place despite the years they might have already lived there.

Although learning of second languages is instrumental for immigrants, it also exposes individuals to distress and other emotional conditions. It is not an easy task for female immigrants because such population segments are associated with lower literacy levels as compared to male immigrants. Shakouri, Maftoon, and Birjandi (2016) indicated that there is a difference in learning between males and females. Therefore, mastering second languages can be a hectic and tiresome procedure in which they can fail to understand it in the long run. It is unlike immigrant children who can quickly learn and be fluent in second languages because they are flexible regarding cognition, creativity, innovativeness, and learning of new aspects in life. Under most circumstances, the female immigrants might decide to hire psychologists to help them transition and effectively learn the underlying second language in their places of residence.

Effects on Female Immigrants

            The acquisition of the second language is an inevitable fact associated with an immigrant population (Jia, Gottardo, & Ferreira, 2017). Despite the existing challenges, there is always the need to ensure that such individuals can master the local languages to benefit as they reside away from home. Firstly, the acquisition of native language among female immigrants plays a critical role in the erosion of their cultures and traditions. Such languages are an enemy of the traditional values that were previously held by the immigrant community. The new language comes along with its values and norms that are distinct and, at times, inappropriate for the foreigners. Despite such disadvantages, the new environment still compels them to adopt the new language if they want to survive and enjoy their stay in host countries.

            Additionally, female immigrants are characterized by low literacy levels as compared to their counterparts, having considered where they come from. As a result, the learning process might take an extended time. As time goes, the issue of the language barrier leads to disparities in access to services such as healthcare. The female immigrants are unable to adequately express themselves when they face health practitioners who can eventually lead to misdiagnosis and treatments. As they learn a second language, they face the stress that may affect their mental aspects. As a result, they face challenges in accessing appropriate psychiatric care when they visit the facilities in native countries. However, when they successfully become fluent in the second language pronunciation, they are likely to receive quality care similar to those of the natives.  

            Indeed, the level of second language acquisition among the immigrants directly affects their relationship with the host community. A higher mastery of the new language would create a positive effect on the coexistence of the female immigrants and their new environment. Whenever the locals find out that the immigrants have mastered and integrated their language, they would perceive them as part and parcel of the new community (Adsera & Pytlikova, 2016). However, most of the female immigrants encounter challenges that slow down their learning of a new environment. As a result, they may take longer in understanding and using the second language in their respective host countries. Under such circumstances, the locals will perceive them as rebellious to the country's norms, culture, and traditions. Therefore, female immigrants might find themselves unwelcomed in such regions. 

            Immigrants primarily move to other regions to secure job opportunities to improve their livelihoods (Adsera & Pytlikova, 2016). However, some of them end up not landing the opportunities that they were seeking. It can be highly articulated to the fact that they are unable to acquire the second language and incorporate it into their livelihoods. In such circumstances, female immigrants are likely to remain unemployed because they are unable to communicate through the natives’ language. Furthermore, challenges in learning the language adequately affect the socialization aspect. Adequate knowledge and speaking of the second language enhance understanding and social interactions between the female immigrants and others in society.

In conclusion, female immigrants face adversities as they try to acquire second languages in their respective destinations. It involves the process of learning the language that the natives speak through classes, individual or family-based mechanisms. Inadequate acquisition of the second language has an impact on socialization, acceptability in host countries, access to services, and cultural erosion, among others. 

References

Adsera, A., & Pytlikova, M. (2016). The Palgrave handbook of economics and language (1st ed., pp. 342-372). Palgrave Macmillan.

Jia, F., Gottardo, A., & Ferreira, A. (2017). Sociocultural models of second-language learning of young immigrants in Canada. People's Movements in the 21St Century - Risks, Challenges and Benefits, 1(1), 1-14. Retrieved 28 February 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313747758_Sociocultural_Models_of_Second-Language_Learning_of_Young_Immigrants_in_Canada.

Kristen, C., Muhlau, P., & Schacht, D. (2016). Language acquisition of recently arrived immigrants in England, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Econstor, 16(2), 180-212. Retrieved 28 February 2020, from https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/168320/1/Kristen_2016_Language-Acquisition-Recently.pdf.

Nelson, J. (2020). Learning the local language can help immigrants integrate into their new home. Omniglot. Retrieved 28 February 2020, from https://www.omniglot.com/language/articles/integration.htm.

Shakouri, N., Maftoon, P., & Birjandi, P. (2016). On revisiting the sex differences in language acquisition: An etiological perspective. International Journal of English Linguistics, 6(4), 1-9. Retrieved 28 February 2020, from http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v6n4p87.