Negotiating for Meaning Along "Language Borders": Refugee Families From Burma/Myanmar in U.S. Public Schools

• In Event: A Whole New World: Experiences of Being International at School

Abstract

How do Burmese refugee families navigate linguistic and cultural landscapes of US schools? How do school personnel respond (or not) to these families’ needs? The data in this ethnographic study led me to answer these questions by developing a grounded theory of a “language border” (as opposed to “barrier”), along which these families and school personnel negotiate for meaning around education. As a Burmese-language interpreter and participant-observer in family-school interactions, I describe two “landmarks,” or locations of cultural friction, on this “language border”: English and Burmese terms that are dictionary equivalents but carry different implications. My findings about this “language border” are significant for school personnel serving Burmese refugee families, and reflect issues faced by other refugee and immigrant groups.

Author

• Rosalie Metro, University of Missouri
  Presenting Author