Immigrant Family Strengths

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Abstract
The literature on immigrants punctuates their difficulties with language acculturation and communication. Minimal attention has been given to the diversity of immigrant family communication issues in relation to the receiving communities in which they have lived, and research has not assessed immigrant families' strategies for minimizing communication breakdown. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 immigrant mothers and their adult daughters, we examine language acculturation and communication experience within the context of characteristics of the receiving community. The findings demonstrate the previously hidden complexity of language acculturation and communication experiences within mother-daughter dyads and highlight the variety of problem-solving strategies they employ to maintain strong ties despite language difficulties.