What are the attitudes about family in the culture(s) you are studying? How are families organized? Is the family evolving? How are these attitudes reflected in the language?
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Pakistani culture places great importance on familial relationships, marriage and the duty and respect given to family matters. Though this is beginning to change (likely due to western influence and children studying abroad/globalization), families generally tend to live together in a more communal fashion than in countries like the United States. Particularly when it is the eldest son, but even for other sons, a marriage will bring the bride to the groom's family house, where they will live with the grooms parents, grandparents and sometimes even extended family like uncles and aunts. This practice does not just show the significance of keeping family close in the Pakistani culture, but also shows the significance of the duty the children have to their parents; the parents took care of them and raised them when they were young and needed help, and when the son grows up it is his responsibility to return that care to the aging parents. Though in general respect for elders is seen in the language through the use of formal language, it can also be seen specifically in Urdu's large familial vocabulary. There are words not only for the generational differences, but also the differences between mother's and father's side of the family (eg. they have two words for aunt and two words for uncle, depending on their relation to the mother or father).
Family in Indian culture is very important. Families and extended families stay together for life and much of the time, even live together. It is very patriarchal, with the man of the household being the most respected. The eldest male is considered to be the family leader. The family life is important because it teaches the members of the family about respect, authority, and how to act in a manner respectable to society. These very intimate relationships between the extended family are reflected in language. Hindi has specific words for maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather. Most families, such as my extended family back home, live together, so it is essential for all relationships to have names. Traditionally, most marriages are arranged; however, this is changing. Also, family life is evolving as many young men and women go to college because of Westernization. This causes the family to be less close, affecting the strong ties many children have with their grandparents and other extended family.
In Korea, a typical family not only consists of the the father, the mother and their children, but also includes other extended family as well, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles.Therefore, the member of Korean family is in contrast to a typical western family. When someone asks a Korean person about the size of his/her family, the answer will usually be considerably higher. In a family, A husband and a wife have different roles in a household. Traditionally, the wife's role would be taking care of the family, and the husband's role would be to provide the necessary income to support the family. Usually, the husband is considered the head of the family.
Children should respect and obey the wishes of their parents, and the parents treat the members of the family in a fair manner. Children would obey their parents, the wife would obey her husband, the younger sibling would obey the older siblings and so forth. The large extended family is becoming less and less common during the more recent years but the roles and relations within the family remain largely unchanged.
In general, the young must use honorific when talking with anyone older than them.
Korean family has a strong and close tie. Korean parents, especially Korean mothers are obligated to devote most of their time on nurturing their children. Korean children learn to respect their parents and elders within the family. Children regard taking care of their parents when they grow up an obligation that they have to fulfill as a way to payback what their parents devoted on them when they were little. Traditionally, Korean parents invested more time in boys than girls and they taught their boy children how to read and write. The girl children were considered “outsiders who will leave the family” when they reached the age of marriage, thus the male is dominated in a family. Traditionally, Korean parents arrange marriages for their children without seeking their consent. In 1970s, 83% of young couples were married based on arrangement. Now, more and more women are graduated from college and work outside from home, and arranged marriage has dramatically reduced. Still, the strong ties and hierarchy within a family remain unchanged. Thus, the language remain unchanged, for example, the older sister is called unni, while the youngest sister is called mannei.
Source: http://asiasociety.org/value-and-meaning-korean-family
Family in Pakistani culture is extremely important. The extended family is actually the central social structure in Pakistani society, in which most families stay together for life. It is strongly patriarchal and most people often live in the same house of large extended families. The eldest male is considered to be the family leader and the family is important because it socializes members into the culture of the society by teaching them common societal norms and values. These very intimate relationships between the extended family are reflected in language. Urdu has specific words for maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather for example. This is because such distinctions are necessary when there is an entire family unit living together. As Pakistan to continues to become more Westernized and as the world becomes more globalized, the family is evolving. One example of this, for example, is how many children go away for school and therefore no longer get to grow and stay within that family unit for a few years. Over time, this affects the family unit.
March 23 2015