64 Emotion in migration and in language contact settings

Abstract

The central role of positive and negative emotions in language contact settings has been underestimated both by sociolinguists and by social psychologists. Traditionally, in an effort to understand the factors that contribute to language maintenance and language shift, scholars have placed a considerable emphasis on individual and/or community attitudes and normative standards. “Emotion” has often and mistakenly been subsumed under “attitude”. This chapter argues that a better understanding of the concept of “emotion” and its role in immigrant contexts can be the key to unravelling the connection between intercultural communication and outcomes of language contact settings (i.e. language maintenance and shift). It first outlines the main approaches to the study of language maintenance and shift in immigrant contexts. Subsequently, it critically surveys existing proposals on the factors that influence the processes of language maintenance and shift, paying particular attention to the absence of studies on the role of emotion in these processes. Through a unifying and interdisciplinary perspective, the chapter creates a framework for acknowledging differences and relationships between the principal factors (e.g. attitude, motivation, and norms) and emotion. Finally, it concludes with a discussion of ways in which research on emotion and emotional reactions in immigrant contexts can offer unique contributions to the study of language contact situations.