Full Citation
Title: Beliefs Regarding Heritage Language Maintenance in the Russian-American Community
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2019
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Abstract: While bilingualism and biculturalism are common among the first generation of immigrants, it appears that the heritage language is partially lost by the second generation, and is lost completely by the third one (Polinsky, 2013; Bertsch, 2013; Gordon, 1964; Genesse, 2015). Parents struggle to preserve the traditional language with the former giving way to the dominant language (Mucherah, 2008; Isurin, 2011; Zhou, 1997; Polinsky, & Kagan, 2007). The situation is exacerbated by the fact that caregivers are not necessarily aware of the benefits of exposure to multiple languages during early years. While current research suggests the benefits of bilingualism over monolingualism (Okal, 2014; Klein, 2016; Leikin, Schwartz, & Share, 2009) and while the Russian-American community has been growing fast in recent years, (Isurin, 2010; Kagan, 2010; Mounton, 2011) not much is known about the beliefs that Russian-American parents hold concerning bilingualism. The goal of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of how members of the Russian-American community perceive heritage language bilingualism, language shift, and heritage language maintenance. Special attention will be given to the beliefs Russian Americans hold with regards to heritage language maintenance and the ways in which these beliefs are aligned with the L1 practices.
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Authors: Shifrina-Piljovin, Yana
Institution: Hofstra University
Department: Education
Advisor: Dr. Tatiana Gordon
Degree: Ph.D.
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Pages: 131
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Other, Race and Ethnicity
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