Difficult Communication: Thinking and Talking about Three Generations of Korean American Women

The presentation traces the journey of three generations of Korean American women, grandmothers, mothers, and daughters, as they navigate different aspects of their lives in New York.  Within the complex network of their daily lives, these Korean American women interact with literacies and languages across various contexts: home, work, school, and church.  Within social practices, the presentation shows both their day-to-day practices of the women, and their social, cultural, and ideological contexts.  I reveal first how their communication is intertwined with each other as family members through their social lives, second how there are intergenerational and international throughout various social and cultural activities, and third how their language and literacy practices are connected to differences in expression of their identities.

     The qualitative data analyzed in this study provides evidence of how the three generations of women communicate and express ideas through a range of language and literacy practices, including a range of semiotic modes.  Within these expressive practices the data shows distinct differences between the three generations based on level of fluency or comfort in each language, life experiences, and histories, as well as current interaction with other Koreans and/or American born youth.  In light of these findings, I suggest that their literacy and language practices are dynamic, international, and intergenerational.  I recommend educators to learn more about the wider generational families of our students and recognize how these generational interactions can reflect upon the youths.