2. Recent Research on Language Maintenance

Abstract

From its beginnings to the present, research in the field of language maintenance and shift has advocated the preservation of ethnic minority and immigrant languages. This review of current published literature, which continues that advocacy, focuses on a narrow time frame (approximately 1998–2002) in order to provide broad, worldwide coverage of different language contact situations. The discussion largely excludes questions of language policy and planning, but includes studies that use traditional as well as newer methodologies to illuminate how educational institutions, the media, ethnic language literacy, family relationships, and friendship networks—to name the more significant factors in maintenance—can be employed to encourage maintenance and language revitalization. After considering recent theoretical and critical works, this review surveys various countries in which research within ethnic and minority language communities illuminates language maintenance, or shift, or revitalization for that group. Current research suggests that use of the ethnic language in the family and friendship networks and its transgenerational transmission are still of crucial importance, as are the conditions in the greater society that provide support for its linguistic viability as a means of communication within and outside the immediate community.

Reluctance of Acehnese youth to use Acehnese

“…According to Letsholo (2009) and also García (2003), the attitude of the younger generation towards a language is the key factor in maintaining minority languages and cultures so that it is important for the young generation to show their positive attitude to their own mother tongue and keep using and transmitting it to the next generation. This is considered the best way for the minority languages and cultures to survive and resist language death.…”

The attitudes of bilingual Arab immigrant children to their languages

“…As previously mentioned, it is a widely held belief that language attitudes play an important role in either supporting or impeding heritage language learning and development (Baker, 1992;Barkhuizen, 2006;García, 2003;Gibbons & Ramirez, 2004;Holmes et al, 1993). For instance, some minority language parents might encourage their children to shift to the majority language in the new country in order to receive the social reward gained as a result of the assimilation in the new society.…”

The Motivational Factors of Heritage Language Learning in Immigrant Bilingualism

“…Parents" attitudes towards the heritage language play a big role in their children"s linguistic decisions [7], [27]- [28]. Research shows that there is a positive correlation between parents" positive attitudes towards heritage language and the children"s success rate in maintaining it.…”