Lecture 5 Flashcards
When does a language shift happens?
It happens when the language of a wide society (majority) displaces the minority mother tongue language overtime in migrant communities or in communities under military occupation.
When language shift occurs, it shifts most of the time towards the language of ________ , and the result could be ________ .
the dominant group
the eradication of the local language
In countries like England, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, one of the first domains in which children of migrant families meet English is ________ .
the school
In many families, English gradually infiltrates the home through the parents. ( )
X
children.
Children discuss school and friends in English with each other, and gradually their parents begin to use English to them too, especially if they are working in jobs where they use English.
How does society influence shift?
- There is pressure from the wider society
- immigrants who sound different are often regarded as threatening by majority group members
- speaking good English is regarded as a sign of successful assimilation
- Therefore, most migrant families gradually shift from using their mother tongue language to the language of the wider society in predominantly monolingual societies like England, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
How long does it take for a language shift?
Two-four generations
Typically migrants are monolingual in their mother tongue, their children are bilingual, and their grandchildren are often monolingual in the language of the host country. ( )
V
Language shift is always the result of migration. ( )
X
Not always.
It may be the result of political, economic and social changes within a community.
When colonial powers invade other countries their language often become dominant. ( )
V
But in multilingual countries like India and many African countries it was not possible for one imported language to replace hundreds of indigenous languages.
