Second-Generation South Asian Britons: A Narrative Inquiry into Multilingualism, Heritage Languages, and Diasporic Identity uses the narratives of seven high-professional, second-generation South Asian Britons to explore issues related to Heritage Language learning and maintenance, discourses of identity and the practices of multicultural families in the UK. Through semi-structured interviews conducted in English, the participants of the study provide articulate and reflective accounts of the language dynamics in the families they grew up in, the communities and environs of their childhood, their young adulthoods and their current lives as parents of dual-heritage children. By investigating both the stories that they tell and how they tell them, this study offers insights into how monolingual narratives can be used to comment on multilingualism.
When Sheena Akliros boarded a plane for a two-week holiday in Greece, she had no idea she was about to become a real-life Shirley Valentine. After a six-day whirlwind romance on the Peloponnese with a sweet, handsome Greek farmer named Argyris, Sheena determined to follow her heart and moved with her five-year-old daughter, Sarah, to the fishing village of Ermioni to spend the rest of her days with him. Here she shares the sacrifices she made for love, the rewards and challenges of rural Greek life for a Scottish city girl in the 1980s and 1990s, and the joys and heartbreak of life spent with a soul mate.
Cheryl: Falling in love is something I'd never imagined. I didn't think love existed, mainly because of the way I was raised. Relationships were never in the cards, especially since I gave a chance on one, and it nearly destroyed me. When I met Marcus Walker, I was only looking for a fling, nothing more; but the more time I spent with him, the more I realized he could be so much more. Not only has he helped me through my family drama but also with a situation I thought was way behind me. Now, I understand what love is and how powerful it can be. But will I let myself be loved, or will I continue to believe that love is not for me? Marcus: One thing I said I will never do in my life is fall in love. Being in love is great for some people, but not for me. That all changed when I met Cheryl Thompson. At first, I thought she would be like the rest, just a one-night stand, but when I saw what she was going through, I realized she was much more than a fling; she was someone I wanted to commit to. Will I be able to trust myself and give her what she needs, or will I end up destroying her even more?
