“I Don’t Fit in Here and I Don’t Fit in There:” Understanding the Connections between L1 Attrition and Feelings of Identity in 1.5 Generation Russian Australians

Abstract

The present study analyzes four adult Russian-Australian 1.5ers, heritage bilinguals whose first language is Russian, and who immigrated to Australia or New Zealand during their primary school years. Semi-structured interviews conducted with the case-study participants examined their attitudes toward their Russian, their L1, and English, their L2. The interviews explored the participants’ schooling history, language use, perceived language proficiency, dominance and use, perceived L1 attrition, and feelings about their identity. The aim of the study was to understand the connections between language, particularly L1 attrition, and identity for this cohort of 1.5 generation speakers, as well as factors that may influence their identity perception. The results emerging from the study’s data reconfirm the role played by language in identity construction. At the same time, they suggest that for 1.5ers the relationship between language and identity also needs to be considered in relation to L1 attrition. This factor, in fact, might contribute to identity conflicts and trigger the desire to return to one’s roots.