2.2.1.

Language shift in different communities

2.2.2. Language death and language loss
2.2.3. Factors contributing to language shift
2.2.4. How can a minority language be maintained?
2.2.5. Language revival
2.2.1. Language shift in different communities
2.2.1.1 Migrant minorities

SHIFT
Minority Language Dominant Language

• Shift from L1 in all contexts to L2 in most context; L1 is used

in one domain, L2 is used in another domain
• An important contributor - the pressure from the wider speech
community.
• May take three or four generations, but sometimes in just two
generations.
2.2.1.1 Migrant minorities
• Typical shifts:

Monolingual Monolingual
s L1 s in L2

Bilinguals
(L1, L2)
2.2.1.2 Non- migrant communities
• Political, economic and social changes may result in
linguistic changes.

Think about the minority

ethnic group language in
Vietnam.
2.2.1.2 Migrant majorities

• When colonial powers invade other countries, their languages often

become dominant.
• Portugal, Spain, France, Britain
• Establish multilingualism
• Papua New Guinea - over 800 native languages
• Dominant language threatened the native languages
• 245 indigenous languages in USA - 65 already extinct and 75 near extinction
with only a few elder speakers left
• https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/preserving-native-languages-article#:~:text=Nati
ve%20languages%20have%20been%20in,Martinez%20Act%20are%20so%2
0important
.
• Search for information about minority ethnic group languages in Vietnam
2.2.1.2 Migrant majorities

• When language shift occurs: shift towards dominant

language
• The dominant language is associated with
• status, prestige and social success
• Many young minority group speakers should see its
advantages and abandon their own language.
2.2.1.2 Migrant majorities

Language shift does not

Language shift could occur
necessarily occur

One primary indigenous language is

Multilingualism is widespread
used
2.2.1.2 Migrant majorities

Immigrant Local
minority
Local minority Immigrant
majority majority

MIGRANT MINORITIES MIGRANT MAJORITIES

 2.2.2. Language death and language loss
When the last speakers die, the language dies with them – it becomes extinct.

Language loss
correlates with the loss of certain language is used in fewer and
a gradual process
functions of the language fewer domains,

The process of language death affects all areas of the grammar – loss of lexical items,
changes in phonology, morphology and syntax.
a steady loss of commitment to a combination of negative
Examples of lexical loss language, especially among young attitudes and lack of use
people guarantees
2.2.2. Language death and language loss

• Language shift - the process by which one language displaces another in

the linguistic repertoire of a community.
• Language loss - Attrition process, when an individual’s proficiency in
their first language diminishes.
• Language death - The situation where all the speakers of a language die
so that their language dies with them.
• EX: Vietnamese American – in America
2.2.3. Factors contributing to language shift
• Economic, social and political factors
• poverty (may lead to migration), social and political dominance
by the linguistic majority
• Demographic factors
• decreasing number of speakers, geographic isolation
• Attitudes and values
• minority languages may be associated with lack of education,
illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, etc.
2.2.3.1 Economic, social and political factors
• the community sees
• important reasons for learning the second language.
• no reason to take active steps to maintain their ethnic language.
• not see it as offering any advantages
• may not realize that it is in danger of disappearing

• The social and economic goals of individuals in a community are

very important in accounting for the speed of shift.
• Rapid shift occurs - people are anxious to “get on” in a society
where knowledge of the second language is a prerequisite for
success.
2.2.3.2 Demographic factors
• Resistance to language shift tends to last longer in rural than
in urban areas.
• The size of the group is sometimes a critical factor.
• Intermarriage can accelerate language shift.
Directions of language shift
X
Poor Rich Economic/ Social Factors
Minority Majority Demographic Factors
Low Social Status High Social Status
Social Factors
Ruled Ruler Political Factors
2.2.3.3 Attitudes and values

• Language shift - slower – when the minority language is

highly valued
• Positive attitudes
• The status of a language internationally
• Pride in the ethnic identity and language
2.2.4. How can a minority language be
maintained?
• Language maintenance: Process by which a minority
language community sets out to inhibit the shift or loss of
their language.
• Social factors may help resist the influence of economic
pressures
• Bilingual education - Education where the goal is to produce
bilingual pupils.
• Factors may contribute to language maintenance, such as:
• the degree to which the language is considered an
important symbol of the group’s identity
• frequent contact with other speakers in the community
• frequent contact with the homeland, through visits
home or new migrants or visitors
• institutional support
 2.2.4. How can a minority language be
maintained?
• linguistic landscapes
• The language used in public texts. Often a rich source of information about
the sociolinguistic complexities of a community.
• Public or official bilingual or multilingual
• indicate a community where several languages have official
• indicate the linguistic repertoires of some individuals may be restricted
to just one of those languages.
• indicate that the sign writer wishes to convey an impression of
sophistication.
• The order in which languages occur on signage can also convey a subtle
political message.

A trash can in Seattle labeled in four languages:

English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish., Kaihsu Tai,
Wikimedia , CC-BY-SA

A grocery store sign in Dallas, TX in three languages English, Amharic, and Spanish, Pete unseth, Wikimedia , CC-BY-SA
2.2.4. How can a minority language be
maintained?
• Institutional support
• Use of the minority language in education
• Bilingual education
• Using or teaching the minority language in school
• Use of the language in places of worship
• Support by the law and administration
• Use of and support for the language in the media
• Ethnolinguistic vitality
• Predict the likelihood that a language will be maintained by measuring its
ethnolinguistic vitality
• Comprised of three components as predictors of language maintenance
• (1) the status of the language as reflected in attitudes towards it
• (2) the size of the group who use it and their distribution
• (3) the extent to which the language has institutional support.
 2.2.4. How can a minority
language be maintained?
• List of the factors which seem to contribute to language
maintenance as opposed to those that favor language
shift (exercise 7b)
• 1 The patterns of language use: number of domains
in which the minority language can be used -
socioeconomic factors
• 2 Demographic factors: the size of the group, the
ability to isolate itself from contact with the majority,
the frequency of contact with the homeland can also
be important
• 3 Attitudes to the minority language: where it is
valued and regarded with pride as identifying the
minority group and expressing its distinctive culture,
there is more chance of a language being
maintained.
2.2.5. Language revival

• Language revival/ Language reclamation

• A conscious effort by a community to revitalize a language that is
in danger of disappearing
• Attitude is the most important factor relevant to language
revival.
• Hebrew was revived in Israel after being effectively dead for nearly
1,700 years. It had survived only for prayers and reading sacred
texts
2.2.5.
Language
revival
Discussion 3
Suggest 3 possible solutions to
prevent language shift for the
Vietnamese communities
overseas including
1 -The patterns of language use
2- Demographic factors
3- Attitudes to the minority
language
Class Discussion 3

1 2 3
Go to your class Suggest 3 possible solutions
to prevent language shift for
Don’t forget to include
your name and student
Voice Thread the Vietnamese communities
id.
overseas including
• 12:00 -15:00 1 -The patterns of language
use
You can choose to share
in any means you like –
• 15:10-17:40 2- Demographic factors
3- Attitudes to the minority
Text, photo, video, audio
language
Homework

Complete Class
Read Chapter 4
Discussion 3
THANK YOU