Heritage Language Maintenance and Loss Among the Children of Eastern European Immigrants in the USA

Authors

Olena Nesteruk, Montclair State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2010

Journal / Book Title

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

Abstract

The present study offers an in-depth look at heritage language maintenance and loss among the children of immigrant professionals from Eastern Europe residing in the USA. Based on semi-structured interviews with 50 married mothers and fathers, I explore: (1) parental attitudes related to heritage language transmission to their children; (2) parental efforts to transmit heritage language; (3) reported barriers to heritage language transmission and maintenance; and (4) parental adjustments in response to children's diminishing heritage language skills. The roles of individual, family and community factors in the maintenance of heritage language in the second generation are discussed.

DOI

10.1080/01434630903582722

MSU Digital Commons Citation

Nesteruk, Olena, "Heritage Language Maintenance and Loss Among the Children of Eastern European Immigrants in the USA" (2010). Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works. 91.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/familysci-facpubs/91

Published Citation

Nesteruk, O. (2010). Heritage language maintenance and loss among the children of Eastern European immigrants in the USA. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 31(3), 271–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434630903582722