Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The article focuses on language experiences shared by female expatriates and aims to investigate the circumstances which are related to their language acquisition and communication in the couple. The research question concerns the degree of socialization of these women into the Polish language as adult bilinguals via marriages to Poles. Design/methodology/approach: Based on my recent data from in-depth interviews, analyzed by means of qualitative methodology, I concentrate on the sociolinguistic complexity of bilingual couples in Poland. Data and analysis: I analyze excerpts of interviews produced by eight couples of immigrant women who settled down in Poland to live with Poles. I investigate these women’s talk with regard to their subjective evaluations of language repertoires resulting from their individual histories of L2 acquisition and their language ideologies reflected in communication patterns with their Polish husbands. Findings/conclusions: My data suggest that language competence relates to the communication quality in cross-lingual and intercultural couples, as subjectively assessed by the target women. I found evidence for apparent reshuffles in language repertoires, an appreciation for formal language learning and the specific hierarchy of priorities in private communication. The results reveal language attitudes which affect the dyadic communication and the sense of ethnicity among mixed couples. Originality: The article views multilingualism and immigration from a new perspective by giving the voice to women living in bilingual couples. The novelty relies on the less studied Polish context where immigrant women from different ethnic backgrounds share language experiences and life situations. Significance/implications: This is significant because the qualitative investigation of the socialization process through language helps understand and interpret linguistic phenomena in terms of the meanings brought to intercultural relationships.
The article focuses on identity in bilingual couples by investigating their attitudes to language and culture. The research question asks how they make sense of their linguistic and cultural duality. Based on the data from in-depth interviews, I concentrate on the notion of identity in bilingual couplehood. I analyze excerpts of interviews produced by 24 couples of Poles with their foreign partners who reside in Poland. I investigate these couples’ talk with regard to their interpretations of identities resulting from their individual life histories and private ideologies about language and culture. My data suggest that attitudes to language and culture relate to the mutual understanding in the couple. I found evidence for differences and similarities as subjectively assessed by partners, higher metalinguistic awareness, an altered perception of one’s self and redefined national stereotypes. The results reveal that the couples’ attitudes are geared to jointly create and negotiate identities in interaction. The article views identity from a new perspective by giving voice to bilingual couples. The novelty relies on the less studied Polish context and, in general, the explicit evaluation of one’s own socialization to a different language and culture. The qualitative lens of the presented study contributes to our understanding of how individuals in intercultural couples use language to convey dual identity and accomplish social goals.
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