Identity threat through the lens of heritage language maintenance: second-generation Indian diaspora in Sydney, Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Australia’s demographic is transforming rapidly due to its increasing immigration rate, leading to the diversification of its linguistic and cultural landscape and resources. This makes it integral to study and understand the linguistic skills and repertoire of migrants, and its impacts on their identity formation and threat. Despite Indian migrants’ growing population rate in Australia, there is a scarcity of studies on their linguistic skills and repertoire. To fill in this gap, a large-scale study was conducted in Sydney, Australia. This paper explores 54 second-generation Indian migrants’ proficiency in two Indian heritage languages: Hindi and an Indian regional language that they spoke the most. Either of these languages could be their first or other language. This is followed by an evaluation of their language practices in the home and public domains. The results of their proficiency in Indian heritage languages and their language preference and use are fundamental in inferring their attitudes towards their ethnic identity in a transnational context.