“We need to reconnect with our culture, not surround ourselves with white people doing white things”, remains one of the most memorable quotes by Jessica, the mother of the Huang family in Fresh Off the Boat, a TV show revolving around an Asian-American family settling in suburbs of Orlando, hailing from Taiwan in the 1990s. Her remark emerged from a deeper stance, where she became visibly worried about how they act like ‘regular American people’ as commented by her neighbours. In fear of losing their heritage, she reinforced certain rules in the house. Amongst these, one of the rules was to speak more Mandarin in the home and less English, and Huang kids were to be enrolled in a Chinese after-school in Tampa. Jessica’s fear of cultural loss brings attention to our understanding of how language practices play out in the domain of family. More specifically, regarding this, the essay would attempt to delve into how language practices change across the generations within families, through the notion of intergenerational language shift and identity negotiation through the lens of popular culture representation.
In layman’s words, language serves as a symbol of one’s cultural identity as they are defined by their understanding of their respective linguistic essence. In the present context, we would look through how language builds itself as a paved way to bridge between the generations in immigrant families living in the Global North. The instances of language shift – where the mother tongue is gradually replaced by the dominant language of the society, they are living in build the ‘invisible’ tensions and conflicts. These linguistic dynamics were meticulously presented in the series. Hence, this essay will continue to unpack the notions of language shift and underscore the language as a site of cultural resistance amidst the immigrant’s experiences.
Huangs’ Immense Love for Mandarin Amidst Linguistic Dominance of English
In the episode titled, ‘So Chineez’, Jessica’s worries emerged as her neighbours, Marvin and Honey remarked ‘how they have forgotten they are Chinese at all’. Jessica’s decision to send her kids away to a Chinese school serves as an instance of how they use Mandarin as a pathway to make them learn about their cultural roots, despite living some eleven thousand kilometres away. Jessica’s utter persistence to preserve a sense of Taiwanese identity lies in the firm position of ‘never leaving behind the roots’. Her ideals remind me of Edward Sapir’s view of how language holds a cultural viewpoint of traditions, norms and values as we sociologists call them to be (Sapir 1921: 2). To Jessica, Mandarin was not a mere way of speaking words, it reminded her of a sense of home back in Taiwan. In contrast, we see her kids, especially Eddie, believe that English is his language. His resistance to acknowledging Mandarin was clearly shown when he refused to go and bunked the Chinese classes. We get a glimpse here of how intergenerational language shift turns out in the everyday experiences of immigrant families in the realm of linguistic dominance of the English language, where the other languages are gradually losing their relevance amongst their people.
As we take ourselves back to Bourdieu’s notion of capital, we realise the relevance in the present context of how English as a language accumulated the capital across the ‘field’ as Bourdieu calls it (Bourdieu, 1983). The Huang parents’ lived experiences of linguistic conflicts in Florida represent their perceptions of how English as a language symbolises power which somewhat resembles the notion of linguistic chauvinism over non-English speaking societies and individuals (Abrar-ul-Hasan, 2021). A very distinctive instance of how Eddie’s preference for English over Mandarin to fit in with his friends showcases an aspect of how his choices are shaped and moulded by his desire to fit in within the English-dominated society of Orlando, which further elucidates our questions of how an identity of an outsider is formed in the realms of Western lines.
Another instance recalls how Eddie, being a hip-hop fanatic, practices and aspires to be the next Tupac of his time. He uses English as his pave to build his way to aspiration in the social world he lives in. This instance showcases the linguistic shift he manages to acquire through a blend of his American culture and his Taiwanese roots. This brings in the perspective of how intergenerational language shift leads to the shaping of duality in identities, through the medium of languages.
From Intergenerational Differences to Identity Negotiation: Through the lens of Conflicts Between Parents and Children
Jessica’s character is personified by the respect and love she has for culture, which oftentimes is not recognised by Eddie. This brings her to levels of frustration and remains upset that her children refuse to speak in Mandarin in their home. She believed the refusal means their disrespect to their mother language and their belief lies in their disregard for their cultural background. In times of this, Jessica and her husband Louis, often shift from English to Mandarin when they talk through the moments that matter deeply to the core of the family – such as the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year serves as another instance where we get a glimpse of how the intergenerational differences play out. In this particular episode titled, ‘Ride the Tiger’, Huangs decided to play a game of ‘speak Mandarin only’ on the eve of Chinese New Year. Eddie knew only two words of Mandarin – “That’s true”. To which his brother Evan remarked, “Is that the only phrase you know in Mandarin?” This showcases how the succeeding generation tends to speak in English and prefer it over the other, reflecting the world they are growing up in. The intergenerational linguistic differences not only bring out the differences in cultures but also how the mode of communication plays out.
As we understood through Jessica’s perspective of how Mandarin serves as a reminder of roots and tradition, we should also see through the lens of children as well. English to them symbolised more opportunities and a sense of belonging in American society. The children, as they grew up, got more assimilated into American culture. The aspect of opportunity could be through how Evan believes straight A’s in all the subjects would get him admission into the Ivy leagues; while Eddie felt a sense of belonging through his high aspirations of becoming a beatboxer and a hip-hop singer within the realms of American youth culture. However, they hold on to their ethnic identity, as we see when Eddie is lecturing to his friend, who is making fun of Chinese culture. They somehow capture the complexities that exist in immigrant families with these instances of holding on to their culture of Mandarin, as well as bringing themselves to the future of America.
The complexities that we witness in the Huang family take us back to Levi-Strauss’s idea of Bricolage. Through his notion of Bricolage, we understand the experiences of the linguistic nature of immigrant families. The Huang children, for instance, accepted both languages of their own (Levi-Strauss 1963:150). They are blending both English and Mandarin into their lives, as convenience suits them. This showcases the understanding of how the duality of identities forms. This section brings our attention to the idea of identity negotiation by Erving Goffman (1959), wherein the individual, or in this case, the family members adapt to their linguistic nature and strive to live with each other despite the differences in their linguistic choices, as Goffman would call it, ‘presenting their own selves’. Goffman’s idea reminds us how despite the differences Huangs face, or how they have different expectations no matter the bridge created between them, they remain themselves tightly as a family.
Conclusion: Popular Culture as a Scope and Further Exploration of Linguistic Notions
The representation in Fresh Off the Boat underscores the relevance of popular culture in making sense of narratives of immigrant experiences. By portraying Huang’s linguistic aspects, the show brings relevance to the challenges the immigrant families encounter regarding their linguistic experiences, and further brings in the complexities of immigrant families to a wider audience, through an element of humour and comedy genre. The Huangs from Fresh Off the Boat showcases the dynamics of linguistic differences, and how language goes beyond the mere words we speak out – it signifies the culture, belonging, and family bond. The difference we see and how they came to a mutual understanding, showcases the nature of the social world we live in. The understanding of their mother language and their acceptance of the dominant language brings our attention to the middle ground, we strive to look for in times of different cultural expectations. Through the lens of Sapir, Strauss and Goffman, the essay delved into the language as a site for resistance and adaptation as we see through the instances being showcased.
As we come nearer to the end, the further scope of exploring the dynamics of language and identity negotiation through other media representations could serve as a departure from the essay. Ultimately, the linguistic experiences of Huangs showcase the dynamics of language shift that undergoes through a process of negotiation, where the duality of identities takes place. By blending our understanding of language and cultural dynamics, we could look through the other media representations of immigrant families that resemble Huangs’ characterisation of linguistic identities that bring out the best of all cultures.
References:
Abrar-ul-Hassan, S. (2021). Linguistic Capital in the University and the Hegemony of English: Medieval Origins and Future Directions. Sage Open. 11(2).
Bourdieu, P. (1983). The Forms of Capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). New York: Greenwood Press.
Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Anchor.
Levi-Strauss, C. (1968). The Savage Mind. University of Chicago Press.
Sapir, E. (1921). Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World Inc.
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Shreya Hait is pursuing a Masters in Sociology at South Asian University (SAU), New Delhi.