Original scientific paper
The Linguistic Development of Yugoslav Migrant Children in the F. R. of Germany
Marta Ljubešić
; Faculty of Special Education, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper analyses some of the conditions under which the bilingualism of third generation Yugoslav migrants in the F. R. of Germany develops, and likewise gives the evaluations of parents and the self-evaluations of pupils in regard to the latter’s mastering of the first, or respectively the second language. The sample was chosen among attenders of the Yugoslav supplementary school, therefore from a group which by its very inclusion in such a form of education has shown a positive attitude towards preserving the mother tongue. In interviews carried on with parents, positive attitudes were again confirmed. However, the language use among the children ran contrary to such attitudes, being evidently determined by given linguistic knowledge, which was greater in the second language. Tested pupils (eight-year olds) were aware of the imbalance in their bilingualism, and preferred German since it was easier for them. When they were forced to speak Croatian or Serbian they did so making maximum use of the non-verbal context. The results showed that parents overestimate the degree to which their children have mastered the mother tongue, and that the cultural milieu in which the pupils live is quite lacking. The overall gathered information indicates that a large part of the third generation migrants is growing up in conditions of socio-cultural deprivation.
Keywords
bilingualism; third generation migrants; Yugoslavs; FR of Germany
Hrčak ID:
128084
URI
Publication date:
29.12.1989.
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