ORIGINS OF POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES IN THE MONTAGNARD COMMUNITY: DIFFERING LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS, EDUCATION LEVELS AND HOW MONTAGNARD DOCTORS AS CULTURAL BROKERS ARE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO BRIDGE GAPS AND SOLVE PROBLEMS
(click to enlarge)
Different Languages
English is a historically Germanic language with strong influence from French and Latin. Latin and Greek are fundamental to scientific and medical terminology. Most Americans speak one language, English. Health professionals in the area might speak Spanish.
Montagnard languages are separate languages — not “dialects” or “derivatives” of Vietnamese — spoken by distinct tribes who make up the indigenous peoples of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. “Montagnard” is not a language (although some Rhade speakers mistakenly refer to their language (Rhade) as “Montagnard”). Montagnard languages have their origins in either Mon-Khmer or Malayo-Polynesian. Many US Montagnards are multilingual. English is a significant challenge because its roots are in an entirely different language group.
The Vietnamese language and culture are distinct entities but historically influenced by Chinese. Today, medical terminology reflects Chinese influence but Chinese and Vietnamese medicine is open to Western medicine, discoveries, technological progress, etc. The Montagnard population does not have a uniform comprehension and fluency with Vietnamese.
Extremes in Education Levels
Education levels in the US Montagnard community are low, but they have never been measured. While there are community scholars and professionals, most come to the US as very low literacy farmers, often unable to read or write their primary language.
Extremes in Health Knowledge and Traditions
US health providers and the majority of Montagnard community members have different knowledge bases, reflecting both education and culture. Language differences insure that community members can’t access good health information or share beliefs. Montagnard folk or indigenous medicine, almost wholly unknown to US doctors, is routinely practiced but rarely reported in the examination room.
Is There A Montagnard Community?
“Les Montagnards” — more accurately in English, highlanders — was a French colonial term embraced by the US military (“yards”). It is also used by political and religious leaders to suggest a common identity and set of goals here in the US. Unity is a powerful theme stressed over and over, but the reality is the existence of many churches defined by tribe, language and political views, and political leaders with different followings. Although many here accept the name “Montagnard” for themselves, for most Americans the term distorts the reality, resulting in faulty practices that have profound effects. (For example, some American agencies believing Rhade and Vietnamese are "universal languages" well understood by all Montagnards, print literature in one or two languages or hire a single interpreter thinking this will insure accurate communication. This belief has persisted for decades.)
