Study Of Language Shift Research Articles

Application of modern classification methods in the study of bilingualism

AbstractThe main goal of the present paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of some modern cluster analytic techniques in linguistics by means of data from a longitudinal study of language shift of a Romanian community living in Hungary (Borbély 2016). Based on this sample we attempted to explore statistically valid and linguistically meaningful homogeneous types, which characterize bilingual adult persons of a Romanian community in Hungary.

Southern Min (Hokkien) as a Migrating Language: A Comparative Study of Language Shift and Maintenance across National Borders by Picus Sizhi Ding

Southern Min (Hokkien) as a Migrating Language: A Comparative Study of Language Shift and Maintenance across National Borders by Picus Sizhi Ding

“Critical diglossia” and “lifestyle diglossia”: development and the interaction between multilingualism, cultural diversityand English

This article critically explores the classical notion of the concept of diglossia in order to re-examine its role in the study of language shift and attrition, particularly in terms of the role English is playing as part of national development and 21st century globalization. It draws on Fishman's extended definition of “diglossia” and adds to it (a) a critical perspective from the Sociolinguistics of Periphery and (b) Omoniyi's (this issue) distinction between linguistic capital and language capital. This partially allows for a reconceptualization of diglossia into “critical diglossia” that foregrounds the hegemonic “historical-structural” arrangements in language planning and policy in the study of language shift and attrition. As a further extension, the proposed concept also incorporates the role of agency and argues for development of diglossia from below, in addition to being imposed from above. The new theoretical conceptualization is then empirically applied to understand the linguistically significant generalizations of patterns of linguistic practices in a small nation state in Southeast Asia that correlate strongly with language shift and attrition. It is argued that both majority and minority indigenous languages are experiencing attrition in form and function under the pressure of modernization and contemporary forces of globalization, amongst which English is one significant factor. This language attrition is explained with the help of another proposed concept “lifestyle diglossia” which has emerged from the data. This new concept reveals that a critical appraisal of people's everyday practices highlights an asymmetrical relationship between traditional and modern lifestyles as well as associated identities which explains the attrition in the dominant local language. English is only one of the attributes of what is perceived and followed as the modern lifestyle. The data set for this article is drawn from a long-term ethnographic study of macro and micro sociolinguistic issues in a nation state in Southeast Asia collected as part of a series of research projects.

Language Shift and Code-mixing: A Case Study from Northern Borneo*

Over the last half century or so, there has been a steady increase of peoples moving away from the interior of Borneo towards the coast, where new urban centres have been established. This paper looks at the consequences of the shift in the human ecology of Borneo, and how this has affected the linguistic ecology of the island. In particular, using the Belait community of Brunei Darussalam as an example, the paper explores the results of contact with other communities, most significantly with Malay-speaking people. The paper looks at language shift in the Belait-speaking community, focusing on the linguistic practices of two groups of this community that have relocated to different geographical areas: one group, over a period of 70 years, has relocated to the coastal town of Kuala Belait; the other has also moved nearer to the coast, but retains a semi-rural location. The paper focuses on the way use of the language is changing in these two groups, and how languages of wider communication, both Malay and English, are affecting the language ecology of Belait speakers. Specifically, the paper seeks to provide a case study of language shift and code-mixing in the Malay world.

Language Shift in the Teochew Community in Singapore: A Family Domain Analysis

Much of the research literature on language maintenance and language shift (LMLS) has focused on minority communities, especially immigrants who may also be socially and/or economically disadvantaged. A different perspective which examines ongoing variations and change in the language use patterns of the majority and the socially and economically powerful groups may provide interesting insights into the socio-cultural processes of LMLS. This paper presents a small case study of language shift in the Teochew Chinese community in Singapore, the second largest sub-group within the dominant Chinese community. The study highlights the complex relationships between societal change processes, government policy, people's attitude and language use. It argues that language shift is rarely across the board, but differential, being more rapid and far-going in some domains and in some sub-populations than in others and that no single factor alone determines the process of LMLS. The study hopes to contribute towards the 'better informed evaluation of LMLS' which Fishman (1991) has called for.

Language shift and cultural reproduction: socialization, self, and syncretism in a Papua New Guinean village

Introduction: Papua New Guinea and the study of language shift 1. Villagers and their village 2. Language and talk in the village 3. Having 'hed' 4. Showing 'save' 5. Preparing the change 6. Becoming monolingual 7. Contextualizing the self Conclusion: the process of language shift Appendix: On being a ghost.

Some issues in the study of language shift in the northern calotte

Abstract The Northern Calotte encompasses the administrative areas of Norway, Sweden and Finland which lie above the Arctic Circle. At present, four languages are spoken in the Northern Calotte: Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Sami. The first three have the status of official language. Finnish is a minority language in northern Norway and northern Sweden. Two of the four languages, Finnish and Sami, are therefore in the position of being minority languages. There are, however, five linguistic minorities in the Northern Calotte: two Finnish‐speaking minorities and three Sami‐speaking minorities. The linguistic minorities of the Northern Calotte differ as to their origin. The Sami represent an indigenous minority, the Tornedal Finnish a border minority and the Kven primarily an immigrant minority, although their linguistic position exhibits features of a border minority as well. Circumstances have often forced members of the linguistic minorities of the Northern Calotte to be multilingual, but today they ar...

New Opportunities for the Study of Language Shift

Novaj Oportunoj de Studo de Lingvo-transiro: La Angligo de Lingvaj Minoritatoj en Novanglujo. Manko de kvantaj donitajoj malhelpis la esploradon de lingvo-transiro. Kutime la cefa fonto estas naci-aj cenzoj, kiuj kutime ne sufice enketas pri la lingvo. Ankaŭ privataj enketoj ne suficas. Do, la gisnuna esplorado ne estis sufice science bazita. La sola nordamerika fonto de bonaj lingvaj donitajoj estis gis 1976 la Kanada Cenzo, kiel Castonguay montris en La monda lingvo-problemo. La fako de esploro de lingvo-transiro en Kanado lastatempe multe progresis. La diversaj faktoroj estis dokumentitaj. La utileco de la kanada informo estas tamen limigita; unuc, car en Kanado la neanglaj, nefrancaj minoritatoj estas kutime malgrandaj, kaj due, la kanadaj demandoj apartigas personojn, kiuj jes au ne transiras lingve, sed ne distingas stupojn au grad-ojn de transiro au reteno. Kaj la Montreala situacio estas unika; necesas alilokaj esploroj. Nun prezentas sin la materialo de la Usona Cenzoburoo, 1976. Gi sufice ampleksas, tie], ke eblas laŭ-stata interpretado. La donitajoj permesas pli detalan prijugon, ol ce la kanada cenzo. Ciuj respond-antoj raportas sia(j)n kutima(j)n endoma(j)n lingvo(j)n, sian gepatran lingvon, kaj sia(j)n kutima(j)n persona(j)n lingvo(j)n. Ce personoj, kiuj raportis duan lingvon, kvin kromaj demandoj certigis lagradon kaj tipon de ilia anglalingva lingvouzo. Krome, oni povas kompari tiujn donitajojn kun diversaj sociaj, kulturaj kaj ekonomiaj detaloj. Ni tiel ilustras, specimene, la strukturon de la lingvo-transiro en Novanglujo (la ses ekstreme nordorientaj usonaj statoj). En 1970, la cenzo provizis ian informon pri la denaskaj franclingvanoj en la novanglujaj statoj, sed poste, la demandoj estis pligustigitaj. Problemo estas, ke la Cenzoburoo ne akceptis la sinidentigon kiel 'kanada'. Tamen, la novanglujaj franclingvanoj tre of te nomas sin 'kanadanoj', do ni devas plimultigi ilian versajnan nombron. Eĉ tio versajne estas nesufica, car plene anglalingvigita persono ofte ne raportas sian denaskan franclingvecon. En multaj hejmoj de franclingvaj etnanoj, la angla estis la kutima lingvo jam dum ilia infaneco; eble ili iom aŭdis la francan, sed margene. La angligo antaŭ la vivtempo de la nuna generacio nomigas la 'historia angligo', indikita en Tabelo 2. Fn la plej norda stato el la ses, Maine, 30 % da franclingvanoj retenas la francan kiel regantan lingvon: en la plej suda, nur 5 %. Nur tiuj personoj kapablas produkti franclingvajn infanojn. Cie krom en Maine, pli ol 40% forlasis la ciutagan uzon de la franca. La dulingveco, kun reganta angla lingvo, montrigas esti transira fenomeno. La juna generacio ciam pli estas nur anglalingva. Jam ne plu trovigas sufice da franclingvaj infanoj, kiuj permesus detalan analizon. La lingvo-transiro varias laŭ lingvo-grupo. La italoj pli grandskale angligis, ol la franclingvanoj. Male, la portugaloj malpli, ol la francoj. Finfine, la hispanlingvanoj pleje rezistas al la anglalingvigo. Preskaŭ 30% de la portugaloj "ne ofte" parolas angle, kaj pli ol 40% havas hejmon, kie la portugala regas. Trovigas relative multaj portugallingvaj infanoj, en hejmoj, kie la portugala regas. La konkludo estas, ke la usona cenzo provizas utilajn informojn, kiuj permesas la taksadon de pluraj eksterlingvaj faktoroj. La lingvo-transiro ne dependas nur de la dato de la alveno de la koncerna etno en Novanglujo. La klarigo devas esti pli interesa el teoria vidpunkto. Ekzemple, la sinteno al lingvo, la koncepto de la gusta rolo de lingvo, eble gravas. Sajnas, ke la hispanlingvanoj taksas la hispanan kontinente valora, amerika lingvo. La cenzo ankaŭ informas nin pri la strukturo de hejmoj, de familioj. La kutimoj pri geedziĝo gravas; kiagrade oni edzigas al samlingva persono, tio varias de etno al etno.Pionira csplorado de la dulingveco okazis en la unika situacio de Montrealo: nun, la usona cenzo permesos pli vastan esploradon, en preskau ciuj usonaj statoj. Kaj gi sugestas esplorojn ankaŭ ekster Nordameriko.