NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
PDF on ERIC Download full text
ERIC Number: EJ1134423
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0826-435X
EISSN: N/A
Empowerment of Refugees by Language: Can ESL Learners Affect the Target Culture?
Tadayon, Fereshteh; Khodi, Ali
TESL Canada Journal, v33 spec iss 10 p129-137 2016
Numerous studies have investigated the changing patterns of immigration, the growth of multicultural-multilingual societies, and the important role of language in identity construction. Unfortunately, the issue of identity construction is affected by a variety of factors such as language learning and acquisition underlying different contexts and cultures, whereas, to some extent, the effects of language attrition and acculturation on the target community have not received the necessary attention. This crisis is defined primarily as the changes that occur in societies as the result of the amalgamation of languages for communication. It has been clearly stated by Kramsch (2008) that language has the potential to affect speakers' minds and identities. Moreover, immigrants' liberatory autonomy can empower them to be critical thinkers in new societies (Allwright & Hanks, 2009). This raises the question of how to preserve the distinguishing features of societies from potential cultural and social changes brought about by the people who use languages other than the national language of a country. Further elaboration on the effects of language in empowering immigrants is highly recommended. In this article, given the importance of patterns of immigration underlying second language acquisition and English mainstream education, we discuss the diminishing cultural and linguistic traces of non-English-speaking immigrants as a result of the encouraged loss of their first languages.
TESL Canada Federation. 408-4370 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC V5G 4L7, Canada. Tel: 604-298-0312; Fax: 604-298-0372; e-mail: admin@tesl.ca; Web site: http://www.tesl.ca
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A