ERIC Number: EJ866832
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Mar
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0143-4632
EISSN: N/A
Language Shift in Second Generation Albanian Immigrants in Greece
Gogonas, Nikos
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v30 n2 p95-110 Mar 2009
Albanian immigration to Greece started in the beginning of the 1990s and the second generation of Albanian immigrants is a recent phenomenon. This paper presents the findings of research investigating language maintenance/shift among second generation Albanian immigrants in Athens using as main informants adolescents of Albanian origin. Quantitative and qualitative data on children's language competence and on patterns of language use within Albanian households indicate that the Albanian ethnolinguistic group is undergoing rapid language shift. For the social psychological dimension of the study, data were gathered by utilising the concept of ethnolinguistic vitality and some items of the subjective vitality questionnaire (SVQ). The SVQ data indicate low vitality perceptions among second generation Albanian immigrants. Finally, while Albanian parents express positive attitudes to language maintenance, in practice many do not take the necessary measures for intergenerational language transmission. (Contains 5 tables.)
Descriptors: Language Maintenance, Foreign Countries, Immigrants, Indo European Languages, Language Skill Attrition, Language Usage, Adolescents, Parent Attitudes, Questionnaires, Language Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Albania; Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A