這幾天看了不是朋友研究這個問題，決定把我個人檢驗也講出來。我故事也可能有些代表性吧。

我應該算1.5代ABC.... 英文比中文強的多，文章還是決定用英文寫。

Like I said, I probably qualify as 1.5 generation ABC. Mainland-born, I came to the United States in the mid '80s, when I was 10 years old. I ended up in a community that was almost uni????ly white, finding myself enrolled in an elementary school that consisted of 3 Asian kids, armed with an English vocabulary of about five words.

I would say I was a pretty smart kid back in China, and read/wrote extensively even for my young age. In about 24 months, I had read every Chinese work of fiction available in the local university library from cover to cover. Like many others immersed in a new language, I also found myself soaking up English like a sponge. I was natively fluent in English by the end of 6th grade, and was passing practice TOEFL tests with flying colors.

In almost every way, I was totally isolated from the Chinese language. Of course it was the language that we spoke at home... but in my pearly-white community, there was no such thing as weekend/afternoon Chinese school. The only Chinese newspapers available were of course in traditional text, and never found the interest needed to conquer them. Oh, and as starving scholars in the late '80s, my parents couldn't possibly imagine the luxury of vacationing in China.

My only other exposure to Chinese were occasional movies with the local Chinese scholar's association. (My mother did try to force me into writing a diary in Chinese: I managed it for two days, but every page was stained with my frustrated tears.)

I won't bother you guys with the story of my otherwise very common (American) childhood; I'll just skip to the conclusion. By the time I entered college, while I still spoke/understood putonghua with my family without any difficulty... I could maybe read 20 characters (yi er san shang xia huo shuai, and my own name). I never spoke putonghua with anyone outside of my family, and I swore to myself that I'd *never* date a girl that wasn't white.

My English was superb. I scored a 790 on the SAT verbals, a 800 on the GRE verbals, and a 99% on the GMAT verbals. I was articulate, well-written, and invited to write a column for a national magazine. For those who believe that your US-born kids should be as "American" as possible... I'm pretty sure I could be your poster child.

But you see, things change. With maturity and age, I changed. I came to regret my inability to read/write Chinese with a passion. After college, I started returning to China on an annual basis to see family; I was humiliated that I couldn't figure out which door was the entrance and which door was the exit. I began to have more Chinese-speaking friends, and I was frustrated that they could read text that I didn't have access to. I felt ashamed that I couldn't email my mom or other China-based family members in Chinese. I couldn't even walk into a Chinese restaurant and order my favorite dishes off of the menu.

5 years ago, I made a commitment that I was going to change this aspect of my life. Starting with a vocabulary of fewer than 20 characters, I forced myself to learn. The tools we have available today are amazing; I tried to make use of all of them. I used online dictionaries to read Chinese newspapers; I forced myself into Chinese chat-rooms; I ultimately spent a few months at a Chinese university program.

I for one am very proud that my Chinese has finally improved dramatically. I can read Chinese newspapers and basic Chinese texts. I can read everything on chat boards similar to this one, even though any replies I write in Chinese will be slow... tortured... awkward. I can email my relatives. I can order in a restaurant! I can conduct business in China; I currently sit on the board for a VC-funded technology company based in Beijing, and I have a number of other projects as well.

As some of you might know, there are two general schools of thought when it comes to American "society". One school of thought holds that the United States is a "melting pot": new immigrants are destined to lose their uniqueness and eventually dissolve into the mainstream. A second school of thought describes the United States as a "salad bowl"; we might be mixed up in the same environment, but we don't necessarily lose the unique elements of our heritage that defines who we are. I'm very proud of the Chinese-ness that I've managed to preserve, even with all of my deficiencies. I think it has served me very well professionally and personally, and I expect that will continue to be true as I grow older.

I'm a new father this year, and this has forced me to question yet again my relationship with China and being Chinese. My conclusion is that no one growing up in the United States needs to worry about being "un-American"; your children will fall into the mainstream far more easily than you could possibly imagine. It's the Chinese part of their souls that will be harder to preserve. I happen to think I'm a stronger person for being comfortable and familiar with both sides of my identity.

My parents are not at all political, but they taught me to love Chinese food, culture, landscapes, family. I wouldn't want a life where that unique inheritance was thrown away. I want to embrace all of that fully, and I believe knowledge Chinese language is a key aspect of doing all of the above.

So, in conclusion... I will make sure that my daughter learns Chinese. It may be difficult, as some out there seem to argue... but in about 10 years, forcing my daughter to do *anything* will be difficult. It won't stop me from trying. It's my responsibility as a parent to make sure my children are *prepared* for a future they don't understand yet. I can't force them to use Chinese as adults, but it's well within my powers to make sure they learn Chinese as children.

Today, I'm very, very grateful to my parents for having helped me maintain ties to China.