BETWEEN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES: THE TRIAD OF SYMBOLS IN THE WORLD OF AN IMMIGRANT CHILD

Multicultural Education, Fall 2004 by Nowak-Fabrykowski, Krystyna, Shkandrij, Myroslav

The child's symbolic world can be analyzed by observing perceptions as expressed in drawing and painting, the creation of a specific vocabulary, or the use of metaphorical expressions and specific reactions in symbolic play (NowakFabrykowski 1991, p. 25). The interactive relationship between an experience and symbolic world is a part of the child's development into a complex adult capable of functioning in a wide range of situations.

As Charon (1989) has stressed: 'The symbol, and especially language, transforms the human being from a weak, helpless, unintelligent, simple organism to one whose complexity, flexibility, and intelligence brings about a unique nature"(p.57). There are many definitions of symbols, but in this study a symbol is an object, a word, or a behavior that has special meaning for a child and is conditioned by the child's experience.

When an immigrant child starts life in the new country, his/her symbolic world is transformed. Many new elements, such as unexpected structures, are incorporated into the new language, confusing values and norms of behavior. Even new holidays and feasts are introduced. They must be comprehended and integrated with the already familiar.

For example, we can analyze how Slavic immigrant children in Canada learn to overcome fear of death. We can examine how in Polish and Canadian culture two holidays are celebrated.

November 1st is 'All Saint Day" for Poles, a day when the whole family visits the cemetery to decorate graves with flowers and evergreen branches. People light candles and pray for those that have passed away. Children are told that when they die they will meet their relatives, who love them and will take care of them after their death.

In Canada, Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. It can be considered a different way of coming to terms with death. Children dress as skeletons, witches, zombies, etc, and they visit neighbors and shout 'treat or trick." In school they read frightening poems, sing songs, paint pictures of black cats, etc.

Children who celebrate both traditions gain different perspectives of being "inside" the two holidays. Their symbolic worlds must of necessity become more complex.

During these celebrations, a Polish child must make his/her own judgments and evaluations of experiences and must find a way of existing that enables him/her to function in the wider society. Usually adaptation to the new has to be manifested in celebration of Halloween simultaneously as 'All Saints Day," even if this holiday is not celebrated by his/her parents.

The confusion by new symbolic activities brought on by the new external symbolic world requires some changes and the building of new structures that can be maintain or rejected in the course of life.

Many factors comprise the symbolization of an immigrant child: a sense of identity, the memory of celebrated events, the understanding of emotions, values, and norms of behavior, and the evaluation of experiences.

TWO WORLDS

In our earlier work we emphasized that the world of the bilingual child is build out of two worlds-an internal and an external one. It should be noted in passing that the consideration of immigrants here can also be synonymous with any ethnic minority. Much of what we have to say concerning an immigrant child is applicable to a child raised in a minority culture where a "second" language is spoken at home.

In order to reach a high level of harmonious development a child must have the right to hold to one original symbolic world (based on the mother tongue and culture) and the simultaneous right to integrate into a new linguistic dealing with cultural content.

The interdependence and the relations of the child's two symbolic worlds are significant elements of his/her personal growth and functioning. The interchange between the two worlds is natural.

As Blackledge (1993) has stressed, 'Bilingual children switch between languages confidently and appropriately when encouraged; if we deny them this natural facility we will inhibit their learning" (p.140).

The internal Symbolic World

The internal symbolic world is built out of personal symbols created from myths, role models, and important people existing in the child's environment. These elements belong to the non-dominant and therefore "antihegemonic" culture of a linguistic minority.

For example, the internal symbolic world is build when Polish or Ukrainian children go to church on Easter Saturday to bless food. Their behavior on this day is very different from the majority of their student colleagues. The ceremonies with their symbols (pysanky, food basket, candles, processions, etc) are meaningful only to their specific community).

The External Symbolic World

The external symbolic world consists of symbols formed by the society in which the child is living, and is drawn from its mythologies and rituals, heroes, models of behavior, success stories, etc. Usually this society reflects strongly the dominant culture of a linguistic majority.

This external symbolic world must be created when, for example, Polish or Ukrainian children celebrate "Halloween," the holiday that does not exist in their parent's culture but that is reinforced by the school and the peers.