The Challenges of Linguistic Isolation and Building Community Ties that Resettled Refugees Face in the United States: A Narrative Inquiry

This study will explore the lived experiences of Burmese refugees that have been resettled in an urban community in Missouri, and the impact that linguistic isolation has on building community ties, and acquiring English language proficiency. The specific problem for this study is refugees resettling in English-speaking communities in the United States continue to be linguistically isolated from the dominant culture, making it difficult for this group to build strong community ties for successful social integration. The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe and document barriers to English language acquisition of refugees, such as linguistic and social isolation of resettled refugees from Burma. Studies have indicated that English-language acquisition is particularly important to refugees in breaking linguistic isolation, gaining employment, earning respect in their communities and accessing knowledge and resources. Studies have also revealed that without English language comprehension, refugees have reported distress and anxiety about gaining access to basic social institutions, such as medical assistance, after their federally mandated resettlement period ended. In order to address the problems of linguistic isolation and the impact it has on building community ties and the acquisition of English, the researcher will use a critical event narrative analysis approach, which will explore the experiences of human subjects and the world around them, giving insight into human understanding. The participants of this qualitative study will involve a purposeful sample of five to seven resettled refugees from Burma attending English language classes in Missouri, USA. The narrative related that the resettled refugees from Burma perceived that English language acquisition is a key factor in gaining employment, assimilating into the American culture, and acquiring social ties. Additionally, the lack of English skills caused many cultural misunderstandings, and made it more difficult to receive necessary services. It is recommended that more research be conducted to determine other factors that help strengthen social and community ties. Further research is also recommended, because the findings from this study cannot assume that the outcomes will be the same for other English language schools and other states, or countries. Additional narrative inquiry studies should be conducted to explore more in-depth the factors that cause linguistic isolation.