The Language Acquisition of Male Immigrants in a Multilingual Destination: Turks and Moroccans in Belgium

Abstract

This study examines the determinants of immigrants' second-language proficiency in the multilingual context of Belgium, which is divided into Dutch, French and bilingual (Dutch–French) regions. Data are from a large-scale immigrant survey conducted in 1994–96 among Turkish and Moroccan males. Binary and multinomial logit regression analyses show that, although immigrants generally invest more in learning the official language of their current region of residence, they generally find it more attractive to invest in learning French, as it is a more international language than Dutch. The study also shows that both Dutch and French skills are higher among those who migrated at a younger age, who have been living in Belgium for a longer time period, who have received more education—particularly education in Belgium—and who live in regions with fewer co-ethnics. Furthermore, second-language skills are higher among immigrants who followed a language course, who intend to stay in Belgium, who are members of voluntary organisations, and who are more proficient in their mother tongue.