Why Do Most Parents In West Not Teach Punjabi To Their Children?

[learningkaur]

5 hours ago, Jonny101 said:

See it is all a matter of perspective. For me it was the opposite. I use to associate almost all the wrong things that Punjabis do due to western cultural influenced that we have adopted mainly from English speaking countries over the decades. That's not to say Punjabi culture also does not have negative aspects like casteism, dowry. There are good and bad aspects in every culture. 

In my own family we only speak Punjabi at home yet we never drink alcohol, listen to Bhangra music, go to parties or even swear which are all the negative things you associated with Punjabi language.

I see language as a very powerful tool for identifying with a religion. Punjabi is very strongly associated with Sikhi just as Hebrew is with Judaism. The West is like a melting pot. One by one you lose all your cultural and religious links and become westernized or Gora'fied. If one takes Santhiya of Gurbani, one must know how to speak Punjabi if they want to have proper pronunciation of Gurbani because in this world only the Punjabi language has the unique sounds of ਝ, ਘ, ਢ, ਧ, ਭ, ੜ, ਙ, ਞ.  A Sikh should always strive to have Shudh Gurbani Uchaarn. Just think, how will your children do proper paath of Bani if they pronounce Gurbani like an English speaking westerner unable to pronounce these unique Punjabi sounds?

Yes I agree, I do want them to know punjabi for the reasons of understanding katha, talking at the gurdwara and reading Gurmukhi. Just my initial thought was we don’t have any punjabi speaking in our family so we don’t really need them to know it (a couple of years ago)

[JSinghnz]

9 hours ago, ChardikalaUK said:

This happens to pretty much every immigrant group. By the 3rd and 4th generation the mother language is gone. Just look at America, the Americans of Italian, German, Dutch and French descent can no longer speak their original languages.

If language means so much to you then it's best not to move from your place of origin.

What a joke of a reply. Instead of trying to realize the importance of saving mother languages, you want people not to move from their place of origin 

[Premi5]

1 hour ago, JSinghnz said:

What a joke of a reply. Instead of trying to realize the importance of saving mother languages, you want people not to move from their place of origin 

It’s true to a large extent though.

i can only imagine that by making Punjabi status better and by teaching it as a second language in Sikh schools in west  from a young age could Punjabi survive well down generations .

[GurjantGnostic]

6 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

I know Irish people who can speak Gaelic - did your parents never encourage it? 

True but even within Ireland it took a movement to save the language and repropogate it. Diasporadic irish didn't maintain gaelic at all. Even before leaving many had lost the language because it was a capital crime to speak it. 

[dallysingh101]

32 minutes ago, GurjantGnostic said:

True but even within Ireland it took a movement to save the language and repropogate it. Diasporadic irish didn't maintain gaelic at all. Even before leaving many had lost the language because it was a capital crime to speak it. 

These things happen and then people correct it. I think with the fragmentation of Europe regional identities will become more and more pronounced. Scots are asserting themselves. The Irish have always been trying to. I think the Welsh reintroduced their native tongue in their homeland too.

The people who were at the forefront of subverting a lot of identities and ways of life (yeah, you know who) are on a back foot now. Unable to influence the world like they did before, people with intelligence in formerly subverted traditions will help their brethren to rediscover their true heritage.  

Sikhs are going through this as we speak in my opinion.  

[ChardikalaUK]

14 hours ago, JSinghnz said:

What a joke of a reply. Instead of trying to realize the importance of saving mother languages, you want people not to move from their place of origin 

It's not a joke, it's an answer based on reality unlike most posts on this thread. Sure it's great to keep the language alive but based on the history of other countries it's highly unlikely.

By the 4th generation the language is pretty much dead amongst 80-90% of the people. Just look at Indian people in South Africa and the Carribean where they have been longer than the UK.

Do you speak English or Punjabi to your friends and siblings?

[JSinghnz]

2 hours ago, ChardikalaUK said:

It's not a joke, it's an answer based on reality unlike most posts on this thread. Sure it's great to keep the language alive but based on the history of other countries it's highly unlikely.

By the 4th generation the language is pretty much dead amongst 80-90% of the people. Just look at Indian people in South Africa and the Carribean where they have been longer than the UK.

Do you speak English or Punjabi to your friends and siblings?

Punjabi of course.

[ChardikalaUK]

4 hours ago, JSinghnz said:

Punjabi of course.

Were you born in India or New Zealand?

[JSinghnz]

1 hour ago, ChardikalaUK said:

Were you born in India or New Zealand?

India but one of my children was born here. We as parents ensured that he learnt to speak Punjabi and he is very fluent in his mother tongue.

[ChardikalaUK]

1 hour ago, JSinghnz said:

India but one of my children was born here. We as parents ensured that he learnt to speak Punjabi and he is very fluent in his mother tongue.

You grew up speaking Punjabi, I'm guessing you went to a school where you spoke Punjabi, you spoke Punjabi with your friends, siblings and cousins.

Your children who are going to school in New Zealand speak to their classmates in English, they watch English TV. If they marry a Sikh who was also born in New Zealand then they will speak to their partner in English, your grandchildren will grow up hearing their parents speak English, they may pick up some Punjabi from you but since you speak decent English your grand children will probably just speak to you in English. Your great grand children may know some Punjabi phrases but that will be all.

That is how it works for every immigrant group throughout the world and throughout history. Show me one example to the contrary.

Like I said if Punjabi language was of the utmost importance to you, you should have stayed in Punjab.