Language maintenance and language shift: community languages in Australia, 1996

Area of Science:

• Sociolinguistics
• Language maintenance studies
• Cultural assimilation research

Background:

• Established community language groups in Australia are experiencing a notable shift towards English usage at home.
• Despite this trend, some community languages demonstrate successful maintenance.
• Factors such as speaker distribution, community age, intermarriage, and cultural proximity influence language shift.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the extent of language shift to English in Australia among established community language groups.
• To identify key factors influencing the maintenance or loss of community languages.
• To quantify the generational differences in language shift rates.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of language use data within Australia's established community language groups.
• Statistical examination of factors correlating with language shift.
• Comparative generational analysis of English language acquisition and use at home.

Main Results:

• Significant intergenerational shift to English is occurring across various community language groups.
• Shift rates vary considerably, with examples ranging from 3% (Macedonian) to 62% (Dutch) in the first generation.
• Second-generation rates show a more pronounced shift, from 15% (Macedonian) to 95% (Dutch).

Conclusions:

• Language shift to English is a continuing trend in Australia's multicultural landscape.
• Generational factors significantly impact the rate of language shift.
• Understanding the dynamics of language maintenance is crucial for preserving linguistic diversity.