Three Women, Three Generations: An In-Depth Case Study of Language Retention and Shift in One Family from the Maltese Australian Community in Melbourne
Keywords:
language retention, language shift, language attitudes, family domain, english dominance, maltese australians
Abstract
This paper analysis one family pertaining to the Maltese Australian community in Melbourne and investigates the retention of the Maltese language. The Maltese Australian community is a small community that is getting smaller since migration from Malta to Australia has largely stopped. Thus, the Maltese language is spoken mostly by the first generation of immigrants who left the island after the Second World War seeking a better future. The second generation, born in Australia, usually understands the language but lacks the opportunity or the will to speak the language except with members of the family. The third generation, raised in a multicultural country, normally has very little fluency in the Maltese language. The investigation is grounded in interview data gathered among a family of three generations of Maltese origin in Melbourne. The findings of this research show that the aging population of the Maltese community and the dominance of the English language do not favour the retention of the Maltese language in the future.
Downloads
How to Cite
References
Abdul-Zahra, S (2010) Code-Switching in Language: An Applied Study. 21(1), 283-296.
A Agius (2001) Maltese Settlement in Australia.
Akkademja Tal-Malti (1998) Regoli Tal-Kitba Tal-Malti.
J Aquilina (1988) Papers In Maltese Linguistics.
James Chopperfield, Siu-Ming Tam, Paul Schubert (2016) Building expertise in mathematical statistics within the Australian bureau of statistics through partnerships with academics.
Marthese Azzopardi, Carmel Azzopardi (2014) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ITEM DIFFICULTY LEVEL AND ITEM DISCRIMINATION IN BIOLOGY FINAL EXAMINATIONS. 2, 3-7.
J Blommaert (2010) Sociolinguistics of Globalization.
H Borland (2005) Heritage Languages and Community Identity Building: The Case of a Language of Lesser Status. 8(2-3), 109-123.
L Cachia (1994) Grammatika Ġdida tal-Malti.
Phillip Delaney, Chris Pettit (2014) Realising the Data Hubs Concept for Urban Research in Australia.
M Cauchi (2002) Worlds Apart.
M Clyne (1985) Multilingual Australia.
Robin Cohen (1997) Global diasporas.
A De Houwer (2007) Parental Language Input Patterns and Children's Bilingual Use. 28(3), 411-424.
R Dykes (2018) Code-Switching Among Bilinguals. 2, 73-83.
Susana Eisenchlas, Andrea Schalley (2019) Reaching out to migrant and refugee communities to support home language maintenance. 22(5), 564-575.
Elizabeth Ellis, Margaret Sims, Vicki Knox (2018) The challenge of isolation in immigrant family language maintenance in regional Australia. 3(0), 17.
J Fishman (1991) Reversing Language Shift.
J Fishman (1964) Language maintenance and language shift as a field of inquiry. A definition of the field and suggestions for its further development. 2(9), 32-70.
Walter Forrest (2018) The intergenerational transmission of Australian Indigenous languages: why language maintenance programmes should be family-focused. 41(2), 303-323.
James Forrest, Phil Benson, Frank Siciliano (2020) Linguistic Shift and Heritage Language Retention in Australia. 1069-1086.
B Glaser, A Strauss (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory -Strategies for Qualitative Research.
Anikó Hatoss (2013) Displacement, Language Maintenance and Identity.
A Hughes (1994) Welsh Migrants in Australia: Language Maintenance and Cultural Transmission.
B Kawulich (2005) Observation, participant observation and observational inference. 6, 153-172.
S Khoo (2011) Intermarriage, Integration and Multiculturalism: A Demographic Perspective. 101-120.
Inga Lass (2022) Language of love: a quarter of Australians are in inter-ethnic relationships.
G Mejia (2016) Language usage and culture maintenance: a study of Spanish-speaking immigrant mothers in Australia. 37(1), 23-39.
(2021) Malta - Census, Standards & Statistics.
Peter Newby (2010) Research Methods for Education.
A Pauwels (2016) Language Maintenance and Shift.
Anne Pauwels (2005) Maintaining the Community Language in Australia: Challenges and Roles for Families. 8(2-3), 124-131.
A Pauwels (1985) The Role of Mixed Marriages in Language Shift in the Dutch Communities. 39-55.
Antonia Rubino, Antonella Strambi, Vincenza Tudini (2002) Flourishing in Italian. 40(2), 105-107.
S Ryazantsev (2013) briefing-paper-no387-a-statement-from-the-russian-pen-centre-26-mar-1992-2-pp. 4(5), 1-32.
C Saliba (2012) Maltese Proverbs: A Reflection of Mediterranean History and Culture?. 71-91.
L Sciriha (2010) Maltese Language Retention and Citizenship among the Maltese Community in Australia. 127-158.
L Sciriha (1990) Language Maintenance and Language Shift of the Maltese Migrants in Canada. 19(20), 34-41.
M Tannenbaum (2005) Viewing Family Relations Through a Linguistic Lens: Symbolic Aspects of Language Maintenance in Immigrant Families. 5(3), 229-252.
V Colic-Peisker (2010) The Croatian Community in Australia in the Early 21 st Century: a demographic and socio-cultural transition. 6, 53-68.
Published
2024-01-05
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Authors and Global Journals Private Limited
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.