Effects of Language Choice on Acculturation

The present study investigates whether language preference is associated with different acculturation attitudes. As residents of Montreal, 103 Portuguese immigrants or first-generation Canadians of Portuguese descent completed a questionnaire in their preferred language (English, French, or Portugue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of language and social psychology 1994-09, Vol.13 (3), p.315-330
Main Authors: Lanca, Margaret, Alksnis, Christine, Roese, Neil J, Gardner, Robert C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acculturation
Attitudes
Cultural identity
English language
Ethnic identity
Ethnicity
French language
Immigrants
Language attitudes
Language choice
Language culture relationship
Portuguese language
Questionnaires
Respondents
Self concept
Self esteem
Self evaluation
Sociolinguistics
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Summary:The present study investigates whether language preference is associated with different acculturation attitudes. As residents of Montreal, 103 Portuguese immigrants or first-generation Canadians of Portuguese descent completed a questionnaire in their preferred language (English, French, or Portuguese) assessing their modes of acculturation, self-reported ethnic identity, self-esteem, individualistic and collectivistic tendencies, and self-reported competence in speaking and reading English, French, and Portuguese. The results indicated that language preference was associated with ethnic identity. Moreover, there was a strong identification with the North American culture by the English respondents and a weaker association with the French-Canadian culture by French respondents. These results indicate that language choice strongly reflects different acculturation attitudes and that research should be directed toward both macro-and microcultural levels in a "dominant" society.
ISSN:0261-927X
1552-6526
DOI:10.1177/0261927X94133005