Quote:
Originally Posted by dlish
im not sure if any of you speak the language of their parents, but i speak arabic and english.
And while i consider english my stronger language because i grew up speaking and studying it throughout my life, i cant help but feel an attachment to my ethnic roots.
its interesting to note that even though some of you have other ethic roots and/or religions, you still choose to base your identity on the country that you live in. i guess it is easier for me to identify myself since i have a 100% lebanese ancestry. if you spoke your parents tongue, would it be more likely that you'd classify yourself by your ethinicity instead?
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My parents both speak English and were born in the States, half my family has been here since at least the mid 18th century, the other half was living in Atlantic Canada until the early 20th century when they migrated across the border to the States and as far as I know they all spoke English.
I think the problem I have identifying with my ethnic roots is I just feel to far removed from them and there are too many to choose from (am I German or am I Welsh?). I would wager a good percentage of people in the States (and many other nations as well) feel the same way and find it easier to identify with nationality rather then ethnicity, religion or heritage. Although I have to wonder how many generations of ones family have to live in America to be considered ethnically American as opposed to a European, African or Asian living in America?