Second Language Learners: Cultural Adaptation Term Paper by Top Papers

The paper discusses how from the time of birth, the individual begins to learn about who he or she is in the world through contact with parents and the interpretations of parental roles that are transmitted to the child. The paper explains that females may learn that they are the primary caretakers, while males may grow to understand that they are dominant figures in the household, and through these interactions, children develop gender role ideas that will lead them to their later communication with others in their own culture. The paper then discusses how as the child ages, he will begin to understand language, social roles and views of the greater society through cultural norms that are shared by those in the child's immediate community. The paper notes that these ideas are generally carried throughout life and are consistently affected by the experiences that the person has over time. The paper adds that once the individual enters a completely new cultural environment, learning to adapt to that environment can be difficult and pose significant problems, especially if the identity that the person has developed during the lifetime is cast aside as insignificant.