Leading Bi-Cultural Lives | Asian American Poll

LEADING BI-CULTURAL LIVES
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:24:33 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Is it possible to embrace both American and Asian cultures and find social acceptance with both Americanized and non-Americanized groups of friends?
Yes | 77%
No | 23%

Which of the following factors is most important in facilitating a successful bi-cultural life?
Familitarity with both cultures | 32%
Family upbringing | 28%
Fluency in both languages | 16%
Security in one's identity | 24%

Which of the following factors most discourages bi-cultural lives for U.S.-raised Asian Americans?
Inability to speak Asian languages | 28%
Outmarriage to non-Asians | 14%
Fear of seeming too Asian | 30%
Concern for kids' image with peers | 28%

Which segment of the Asian American population currently has the greatest positive impact on American society?
American-Born | 56%
Foreign-born, American-educated | 44%

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

Sunday April 21, 11:44 AM
Singapore turns English into economic weapon against competitors

SINGAPORE, April 21 (AFP) -
Just when you thought Singapore had come up with every economic weapon possible to fend off rising regional competition, the island's authorities have added the English language to the list.

The majority of Singapore's 3.2 million people are proficient in English, which is one of four official languages and the language of administration in the multi-racial Southeast Asian society.

But the widespread use of Singlish -- a hybrid combining English, Chinese, Malay and Indian -- has sparked concerns among Singaporean leaders that the Southeast Asian state could lose its lustre in the eyes of foreign investors.

The concern was serious enough to jolt Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong into launching a national drive in 2000 to encourage Singaporeans to speak proper English.

Comment: Quite a tragedy...we speak better English than the Scotch or the Germans...and those ethnic groups have been prosperous during the past two centuries!
Proud Singaporean Who will always speak Singlish Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 08:39:09 (PDT)

I don't know what the problem is either with speaking with an accent. I think it is very natural to speak in the style of your neighbourhood. That is where you are learning how to speak the language so having a perfectly neutral speech is even more affected than having the local speech style. However, when you purposely affect an accent from a region you are not actually from (eg. an english accent, and you are not in England, or from there) then it is more like just having fun. Even then, I don't think of it as lying. Unless of course, you SAY you are from England --hahahah!
chicky poo Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 03:59:05 (PDT)

to ?
"...if you followed your own advice of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all", I don't think you would ever talk."

I do have plenty of nice things to say to people...just not to uptight folks like you. And besides, you probably wouldn't like anything I said even though I may be saying something nice to you because you wouldn't be able to look past my accent, which is very very European at this time, can't you hear it?

to Poo
"...you don't stand any chance of a positive outcome if you are being a fake, in essence lying and deceiving the person you are speaking to."
Why would you consider assuming an accent to be lying or cheating? I spoke with a southern accent because I grew up in the south, but when I moved to California, I assumed a coastal accent because it's second nature for me to absorb languages quite easily especially when I'm surrounded by it (and I give credit to my family for having given me really great genes in the linguistics department). Ditto for England. After hanging around them for a few weeks, I picked up the accent. Nothing wrong with it, especially if I don't lie and tell them that I was a native-born Brittain, of which they'll know just by looking at me anyway because I don't look like a Brittish. And if I spoke in a southern drawl to you, would you consider that to be a lie as well since I no longer live in that part of the country?

"...You also play them for dumb, which will insult them when they find out."
Would my potential mate be horribly upset if he found out that my coastal accent is not one I was born with but was one I cultivated just by hanging out around the Californians? Get real and lighten up a little will ya!

You must remember that English is my second (sorry, make that third) language, and anything not of the first language is up for grabs depending on where you are at the time. I never lie about the fact that I'm Asian, but I don't see where talking in a different accent will make such a horrible impact on someone else.

MLK Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 19:55:16 (PDT)

Ac Dropout,
Heres an example from a previous posting of the behavior I am referring to
>>although it does nothing for me in England, it attracts lots of guys here in the US, both Asian and otherwise. Maybe you guys should try it out on the girls around here. It's worth a shot anyway, <<<< referring to faking an accent..

Poo Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 19:40:34 (PDT)

AC Dropout,
My aversion is to those who will fake an accent to give the deceptive appearance of coming from a location they are not, in actuality , from! I do not go out into the world with a Russian accent, or a French accent, or even a Southern accent, unless my intent is to " pass off" as being from that location. Theres a big difference between subtly picking up an accent from living in an area ( Like can happen to those who move from other parts of the US to Texas , for example ) or the type of mirroring you are referring to - and out and out playing people and being a fake. Its a disguise, of sorts - it projects an untrue image, and while its all in good fun perhaps - albeit juvenile - if its used to pick up girls and so on, its nasty. May as well put a sock down your pants while your at it, borrow your dad's Mercedes, and let the faking begin!!
Poo Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 19:38:29 (PDT)

"gettin' above yer raisin'" --

I lack that one... ah found it so funny that I just about squirted mah wah-terr outta mah noze when ah wuz takin a sippa mah drink ...
y'all crack me up! Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 15:10:59 (PDT)

Poo,

Both Pres. Clinton and GW Bush can alter their USA hick accents for the occassion.

I don't know about you but those two have lied and lied again. But still manage to earn the trust of the American people.
AC Dropout Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 10:37:44 (PDT)

NYC Asians can be very unique,

Yeah it happens. Every now and then the city will produce a Guido-asian or a ghetto-asian or even a Kosher-asian.

It's all cool in the city.

Toasted bagels with tomato and cream cheese; Knishes with mustard and sweet onions; Jamaican Beef Patties on Coco bread; Zeppili with powder sugar ... These are the spices of ethnic life in the city.
AC Dropout Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 10:03:50 (PDT)

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