Intergenerational Differences in Acculturation Orientations of Turkish Speakers in Australia

Abstract

In this paper, acculturation and language orientations among Turkish speakers in Australia (n = 283) are discussed. Compared to West European countries, the Turkish community in Australia is much smaller. Given the prevalent pluralism ideology in Australia, a high level of sociocultural adjustment and a high level of ethnic orientation and language use were expected in Australia. The predictions were largely borne out. Turkish speakers have positive attitudes towards their mother tongue and towards English. However, there were large differences between the generations regarding language, use, choice and dominance. Turkish speakers show high levels of integration into the mainstream society. Language shift observed among second and third generations requires further reflection.