Attitudes about Family in the Target Culture
This week we discussed the role of the family in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh family is highly valued and the culture greatly revolves around family ties. Older individuals and those who are outside of one’s family are very respected in the culture. In Bengali speaking in a very formal manner shows respect. Also, in Bengali, there is always a personal term to call someone. For instance, if I were speaking to my father’s friend, I would need to call him “chachu” which means “paternal uncle.” In addition to having specific terms for all family members, getting married and having children is seen as a priority in the country. In a way this allows a Bangladeshi to pass down his or her culture, language, and religion.
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I can see the similarities in my target language Turkish. In Turkish, family is also highly valued. And culture regards the unity of family as the most important thing. Turkish share some cultural similarities of the Eastern culture. Thus Turkish people view fathers as the head of the household. Every family respects him. I wonder it is the same in your target culture?
Yes, Bangladesh is a very patriarchal society, so typically the head of the family is the father as well. A lot of times it could be the eldest one in the family or the one who is making the income for the family, but it is almost always a male. It is very interesting how the cultures of our target languages intertwine!
I think it's really interesting that there are different terms in Bengali for paternal uncle and maternal uncle and so on. I remember you talking about this in your language presentation. Are there similar terms that differentiate these in other languages that you know of?
Yes, Hindi also differentiates between maternal and paternal family members through the terms they are called. I am pretty sure all Southeast Asian countries follow this rule. It is interesting because it really tells us a lot about the culture. For instance, by calling everyone by the same term, such as "uncle" or "aunt" you are kind of having them all at the same level. No one is above another. However, having different terms for each family member you know how they are related to you and how close you are to one another. I am very close to my mother's side of the family, so the terms that I call them seem more personal to me. A lot of times in Bangladesh the daughter leaves her house to live with her husband's family, so I could see why the husband's side would be closer to the children.