[Linganth] Language use in highly mobile individuals/families

[Elizabeth Keating]

Dear Elizabeth,

I’ve used the following article in undergraduate classes in the past: Antal, David, A Linguistic Odyssey, International Journal of  Soc. Lang. 133, 143-168.

Here’s the abstract:

Describing his, his wife's, and his three children's experiences as an American family settled in Germany, the author retraces the children's linguistic development, which exemplifies the decisive influence of the language (s) spoken in school (English-German bilingualism) and, in the long term, by the parents at home (English by the father, French by the mother). A striking difference between countries of residence, due apparently to their official approach to "foreigners," emerges from their experience: after moving to France and having a year of schooling there, the children "felt" French. But despite continuous residence in Germany, despite intense, early contact with the German language and German playmates and classmates, and despite the fact that the three children are today partly perceived by their California relatives and by others as "German," they have never claimed to feel German or German-American. English rather than German has become their main language, with French a close second.


Also, for a view on the experience of mobile families, but not language focused, I suggest the documentary
BRATS: Our Journey Home
Donna Musil (Director), Kris Kristofferson (Actor), General Norman Schwarzkopf (Actor)

As you can tell from the title it’s from the child’s retrospective perspective and also features mostly military experiences, but it’s more widely applicable to other types of mobile families (as I can attest!). It was suggested to me by a friend who saw it during an interesting reunion of expat children with a common Thailand experience in their childhoods.

Best,

Elizabeth


Elizabeth Keating, PhD
Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin
2201 Speedway Stop C3200, Austin TX 78712
Phone 512-471-8518, office: SAC 4.156

[Words Matter by Elizabeth Keating, Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa]

New book: Words Matter: Communicating Effectively in the New Global Office
(co-authored with Sirkka Jarvenpaa) University of California Press
http://www.ucpress.edu/go/words




From: Linganth <linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> On Behalf Of Elizabeth Falconi
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2019 12:30 PM
To: linganth at listserv.linguistlist.org
Subject: [Linganth] Language use in highly mobile individuals/families

Does anyone have suggestions for literature on the linguistic practices of people who move frequently? I don't mean migrants necessarily, but rather people who move frequently throughout their lives, domestically, internationally. Such as military families, or families of missionaries, or other groups who move every year or so.

Thanks in advance!
Elizabeth

--
Dr. Elizabeth Falconi
Lecturer
Department of Anthropology
University of West Georgia
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