Language Shift and Factors Contributing to Language Shift

Language Shift and Factors Contributing to Language Shift
- Sociolinguistics

1. Language Shift and Factors Contributing to it Discussant: Nica F. Asoque

2. Language shift is a social phenomenon, whereby one language replaces another in a society due to underlying changes in the composition and aspirations of the society .

3. Language shift means the process, or the event, in which a population changes from using an old language to a new one.

4. According to Hoffman (1896), Language shift is always preceded by multilingualism.

5. Language Shift is different from Language Change .

6. Language shift is a social phenomenon, whereby one language replaces another in a given (continuing) society. On the other hand, Language Change can be seen as evolution, the transition from older to newer forms of the same language.

7. Filipino Language English Language Filipino Language New Forms of Filipino Language Language Shift Language Change

8. Language shift results in the spread of the new language that is adopted, and may result in the endangerment or loss of the old language . Language shift may be an object of conscious policy; but equally it may be a phenomenon which is unplanned, and often unexplained.

9. General Theory and Background of Language Shift  

10.   The authors show that the number of speakers cannot be considered the most important criterion in trying to anticipate language survival or death. Instead, natural transmission and intergenerational use are indicated.   Bonfil Batalla , G. 1996. La teoría del control cultural en el estudio de los procesos étnicos .  Acta sociológica  18:11–54 .

11. The background to language shift is theorized in terms of a theory of cultural control, whereby a social group becomes alienated and accepting of external institutions.   Mackey, W. F. 2001. The ecology of language shift. In  The ecolinguistics reader: Language, ecology, and environment . Edited by Alwin Fill and Peter Mühlhäusler , 67–74. London and New York: Continuum .

12. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO LANGUAGE SHIFT     What are the factors contributing to language shift? 

13. The reasons are often Economic , Social and Political . There are also factors contributing to language shift such as Demographic factors, Attitudes and Values .

14. 1. The Economic Factor:   Language shift often reflects the influence of economic factors, such as the need for work. People may shift both location and language for this reason.

15. Obtaining work is the most obvious economic reason for learning another language.  In English-dominated countries, for instance, people learn English in order to get good jobs.  This results in bilingualism.

16.   Over the last couple of countries, many speakers of Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh, for instance, have shifted to England, and consequently to English, primarily in order to get work. They need English both for their job success and for their social well-being-to make friends.

17. 2. Social factor:   There is pressure from the wider society. Immigrants who look and sound ‘different’ are often regarded as threatening by majority group members. There is pressure to conform in all kind of ways.

18. Language shift to English, for instance, has often been expected of migrants in predominantly monolingual countries such as England, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Speaking good English has been regarded as a sign of successful assimilation.

19. For instance, in a small language community language shift occurs when the community sees no reason to take active steps to maintain their ethnic language.  When a community of speakers moving to a region whose language is different, there is a tendency to shift to the new language. 

20. As an example, there is a language shift among the second born Telugu immigrants in New Zealand. Their ability to use English enables them to integrate and settle in an English speaking country.

21. 3. Political factor: A rapid shift occurs when people are anxious to ‘get on’ in a society where knowledge of the second language is a prerequisite for success .

22. Political factor imposes on language shift. In a multilingual country, the authority usually chooses one language as the lingua franca to unify various kinds of ethnic groups. Consequently, the number of ethnic language speakers decreases.

23. Another example, the official languages of many African countries were determined by their former colonialists. Philippines is also a multi-lingual country. There are 170 languages and dialects in the country.

24. 4. Demographic factor : Firstly, demographic factor plays the role in the process of language shift. When there is a community of speakers moving to a region or a country whose language is different from theirs, there is a tendency to shift to the new language.

25. Resistance to language shift tends to last longer in rural than in urban areas because rural groups tend to be isolated from the centers of political power.  The rural people can meet most of their social needs in the ethnic or minority language. 

26. 5. Attitudes and Values :      Language shift tends to be slower among communities where the minority language is highly valued.  When the minority group support the use of the minority language, it helps them to resist the pressure from the majority group to switch language.

27. Negative attitudes towards the language can also accelerate language shift. It occurs where the ethnic language is not highly valued and is not seen as a symbol of identity.

28. To sum up, language shift is an interesting and inevitable linguistic phenomenon. The factors which trigger the shift vary from one language community to another. Some of them are demographic, attitude and values, economic, social, and political factors .

29. How can a minority language be maintained?

30.               There are certain factors which seem to retard wholesale language shift for a minority language group, at least for a time. Language is considered an important symbol of a minority group’s identity.

31. Institutional support generally makes the differences between success and failure in maintaining a minority group language. Education, law and administration, religion and the media are crucial domains from this point of view.

32. REFERENCES :   Holmes, Janet. 1992. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Person Education Bayer, Jennifer Marie. (2005). Sociolinguistic Perspectives of Cultures in Transition Indian Tribal Situation. Language in India. 5(March) http://www.languageinindia.com Hoffman, C. (1991). An Introduction to Bilingualism. London: Longman Holmes, Janet. (2008). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Longman Kuncha , Rekha and Hanoku Bathula . (2006). The Role of Attitude in Language Shift and Language Maintenance in a New Immigrant Community: A Case Study. Working Paper 1(April): 6. Samadi . SP. Pelestarian Bahasa Jawa Melalui Sekolah . 20 March 2007.

33. Thank you.