1. Effects of Language Choice on Acculturation
- Author
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Christine Alksnis, Margaret Lanca, Robert C. Gardner, and Neil J. Roese
- Subjects
Linguistics and Language ,Sociology and Political Science ,Social Psychology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,05 social sciences ,Immigration ,Ethnic group ,Collectivism ,050109 social psychology ,050105 experimental psychology ,Language and Linguistics ,language.human_language ,Acculturation ,Education ,Individualism ,Anthropology ,Multiculturalism ,language ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Portuguese ,Psychology ,Social psychology ,Competence (human resources) ,media_common - Abstract
The present study investigates whether language preference is associated with different acculturation attitudes. As residents of Montreal, 103 Portuguese immigrants or firstgeneration Canadians of Portuguese descent completed a questionnaire in their preferred language (English, French, or Portuguese) assessing their modes of acculturation, selfreported 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.
- Published
- 1994
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