scholarly journals “It would be nice if someone took the load off you” Arabic-speaking new-Australian mothers and the challenges of heritage language maintenance

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (0) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Areej Yousef ◽  
Kerry Taylor-Leech
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Maintenance ◽  
Heritage Language Maintenance ◽  
Arabic Speaking

scholarly journals Language attitudes of young Romanians in Catalonia (Spain): The role of heritage language maintenance programs

Multilingua ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-355
Author(s):  
Maria Adelina Ianos ◽  
Ester Caballé ◽  
Cristina Petreñas ◽  
Ángel Huguet
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Maintenance ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Immigrant Population ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Heritage Language Maintenance ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Method Analysis ◽  
International Status

Abstract This article presents a mixed method analysis of the language attitudes held by secondary education students of Romanian origin, which are members of the second largest immigrant population living currently in Catalonia. The relevance of this data is based on the cardinal role played by attitudes in the success of any educational or linguistic policy (Lewis, E. Glyn. 1981. Bilingualism and bilingual education. Oxford, UK: Pergamon.) – a topic of special relevance in contexts with considerable migratory influxes, such as Catalonia, which aims to achieve social cohesiveness in a framework of interculturalism and multilingualism. The various initiatives implemented for this purpose include the heritage language maintenance programs, such as the “Romanian Language, Culture, and Civilization” (RLCC) program. The results showed that the young Romanians had the most favourable attitudes towards Spanish, followed closely by Romanian, and lastly Catalan, which was the least valued language. Furthermore, these attitudinal patterns were not determined by RLCC attendance. The insights provided by the in-depth interviews indicated various components and meanings associated with the attitudes towards the three languages. Namely, attitudes towards Spanish were primed by its international status and ease of learning, while attitudes towards Catalan were build on its integrative value and social status. Although esteemed for its emotional and symbolic bonds, Romanian seemed to be on a path towards invisibilization. Finally, the educational and social implications of these findings are discussed, emphasising the importance of involving and working with both the autochthonous and the Romanian immigrant population.

Heritage Language Maintenance and Japanese Identity Formation: What Role Can Schooling and Ethnic Community Contact Play?

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaya Oriyama
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Maintenance ◽  
Ethnic Community ◽  
Hybrid Identities ◽  
Heritage Language Maintenance ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Heritage Language Schools ◽  
Community Heritage ◽  
Language Schools

This study examines the role of schooling and ethnic community contact in ethnolinguistic and cultural identity construction and heritage language maintenance through the surveys and narratives of three groups of Japanese-English bilingual youths and their parents in Sydney, Australia, as a part of a larger longitudinal study from childhood. The bilingual youths were either born in Australia or immigrated there at a young age, and one or both of their parents are Japanese. All youths attended local Japanese community (heritage) language schools on weekends for varying periods of time while receiving Australian education (one group received some Japanese education as well) during the week. The bilinguals were grouped by types of schooling and community contact. The results show that community schools foster positive Japanese inclusive identity and heritage language development, especially with home, community, and peer support. Contrary to previous studies, positive attitudes toward hybrid identities and Japanese maintenance were found, regardless of the levels of Japanese proficiency. The development of identity and heritage language appear to be influenced not only by schooling and community, but also by wider socio-cultural contexts.

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