Mai immigrated to the U.S. with her husband and two children - a son who was 15 at the time of immigration and a daughter who was 12.

The primary reasons Mai reported for immigrating to the U.S. involved family. Mai's parents live in Portland and she immigrated to live near them. She also reported that she thought the U.S. would offer better economic opportunities for her children in the future than Vietnam would.

Mai reported that she spoke only Vietnamese with her children because it is too frustrating for her to make herself understood in English and her children's receptive knowledge of Vietnamese is fine.

In an interview from February of 2006, when asked how her family might help or hinder her learning English, Mai discussed the issue of language use with children and the usual difficulties faced by immigrant families with younger children who are raised in the language and culture of immigration.

M:	… the thing that prevents me is probably that I can easily understand Vietnamese, so when I speak a few sentences in English and don't know something, then I break out of English and speak Vietnamese.
I:	Switch back to Vietnamese right away.
M:	That's why when I speak with my children trying to use English, sometimes after saying a few sentences and they don't understand, I return to speaking Vietnamese. That's why I don't speak English in my house.
I:	That's the reason the children speak Vietnamese because they understand Vietnamese.
M:	Right
I:	So, they make you switch back to speaking Vietnamese.
M:	Right
I:	Easy
M:	Sometimes they speak but I don't understand.
I:	That's why you switch to speaking Vietnamese right away. When you speak Vietnamese they understand right away…that's why.
M:	Sometimes I repeat over and over 2 or 3 times, but they don't understand. So that was it, switch back to… that's why I can't continue using English.
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It is often assumed that for language learners, having a ready source of input for that language is an important resource for language learning. But Mai's situation shows that family relationships and the interpersonal dynamics inherent in these relationships make language choice among immigrant families an emotionally difficult area of negotiation. In this excerpt, Mai expresses that when speaking English with her children, she sometimes needs to repeat things several times and when the children still do not understand, she switches to Vietnamese.

While there is not strong evidence in this excerpt to label her children a hindrance to her English language learning, there is no suggestion that her children's knowledge and use of English facilitates her learning.

On the other hand, Mai does report that her husband encourages her language learning in the excerpt below (also from February, 2006).

Mai:	Usually my husband also asks…if I want to then someday when he goes to PCC [Portland Community College], I should come along. I could pick a class and study.
I:	I see your husband is a good man…he
Mai:	He told me to take a class and study there.
I:	He advised you to take a class.
Mai:	Yes
I:	To go with him.
Mai:	Yes, Thursday or Friday… if I'm free on those days.
I:	Try to go with him.
Mai:	In general, he is just…. In general, I can pick any class that I want, but studying ESL would only cost x amount of dollars plus dollars.
I:	Probably 50 dollars or 35 dollars or so…
Mai:	Right, right….well I think it's not a great sum of money and if I go out, I can practice more. Second, I can get an understanding. If I only stay around at work and go home, then I won't understand anything.
I:	Right…your husband advised you to go to take a class…go to school.
M:	Yes…..go back to school.
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