Loss of Culture, Loss of Language: An Afghan-American Community

• Main Author: Farid Saydee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages 2014-08-01
• Series: Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages
• Subjects: Loss of Culture; Loss of Language; An Afghan-American; Community; heritage; Dari language
• Online Access: http://www.ncolctl.org/files/Loss-of-Culture.pdf

This study voices the concerns of Afghan-American parents about the disappearance of the Dari language among youth and provides data for policymakers to consider, particularly as the United States is deeply involved in Afghanistan. In this quantitative study, the researcher argues that when it comes to the decline of their heritage language and the inexorable shift towards mainstream culture, Afghan families experience similar forces of assimilation as other immigrants in the United States. The 27 Afghan parents from different households who participated in the study attribute the decline of their heritage language to Afghan-American children becoming accustomed to speaking English at home and in public, and wanting to fit into the mainstream culture. This study uses a Reversing Language Shift (RLS) perspective to identify factors that have contributed to the slow erosion of Dari within the Afghan community in San Diego.