Language Choice, Maintenance, and Ethnolinguistic Vitality of First and Second Generation Turkish Speakers in the United States

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of research investigating the attitudes to Turkish and English, language choice, maintenance, and ethnolinguistic vitality of Turkish speakers who live in New Jersey. The theory of this study is based on Giles et al.’s (1977) ethnolinguistic vitality theory, and Yağmur’s (1997) scale was utilized. The scales consist of 91 questions. The biographical section included 12 questions; the language use and choice scale comprised 38 questions in 5 sub-sections; the attitudes to language scale consisted of 18 questions in 2 sub-sections, and the ethnolinguistic vitality questionnaire included 23 questions. 41 second-generation, and 129 firstgeneration informants took part in the study.

Keywords

• Turkish immigrants in the USA
• ethnolinguistic vitality
• language choice
• language maintenance
• intergenerational differences

Amerika’daki Birinci ve İkinci Kuşak Türklerin Dil Tercihleri, Sürdürümleri, Tutumları ve Etnik Dilsel Canlılıkları

Abstract

Bu makalede, Amerika’nın New Jersey eyaletinde yaşayan göçmen Türklerin, dil kullanımları ve tercihleri, Türkçe ve İngilizceye karşı tutum ve yaklaşımları ile etnik dilsel canlılıkları üzerine yapılan araştırmanın bulguları ortaya konulmaktadır. Araştırma kuramı, Giles, Bourhis ve Taylor’ın (1977) etnik dilsel canlılık teorisine; araştırma ölçeği ise Yağmur’un (1997) çalışmasına dayanmaktadır. Dil kullanımı ve tercihi ölçeği 5 bölüm ve 38 sorudan, dil tutum ve yaklaşımı ölçeği 2 bölüm ve 18 sorudan, etnik dilsel canlılık ölçeği ise 23 sorudan oluşmaktadır. Araştırmada 41’i ikinci kuşak, 129’u birinci kuşak olmak üzere 170 katılımcı yer almaktadır

Keywords

• Amerika’daki Türk göçmenler
• etnik dilsel canlılık
• dil tercihi
• dil sürdürümü
• kuşaklar arası dilsel farklılıklar

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