Maintenance of Immigrants’ Languages under Multiculturalism - A Case Study of the Heritage Language in Canada and Its Comparison with Taiwan
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Hung, Mei-fang
Abstract
Language is not only a tool for communication, but also a symbol for individual ethnic culture. In the era of globalization, migration and movement of people is frequent; this phenomenon results in the influx of numerous immigrants, especially in developed or newly-developing countries. When people from different ethnic groups live in the same country, the dispute of language arouses. Multiculturalism has replaced assimilation and becomes the principle in dealing with ethnic relationship. Under the policy of multiculturalism, immigrants’ language rights should be respected and valued. There are more and more marriage immigrants in Taiwan, and they add to the complexity of ethnic composition. However, immigrants’ language rights are neglected. Canada is the first country to claim itself as a multicultural country. Thus, this research attempts to investigate the policy and practice of the maintenance of immigrants’ heritage language in Canada, and hope Canada’s experiences can give us some insight when we are dealing with relevant issues. It was found language policy for immigrants in Taiwan mainly focused on the acquisition of Chinese. However, the immigrants didn’t have much time for Chinese Learning, and they couldn’t maintain their mother tongue owing to their low status and disadvantaged economic conditions. To improve immigrants’ self dignity and awareness, their language rights should be protected. Language diversity, language as resource and the benefits of multilingualism should also be considered to enhance the revitalization of immigrants’ languages. Some strategies and practices Canada had implemented could serve as our reference. When all the citizens can respect and values others’ cultures and languages, a real multicultural society can be achieved.
Subjects
Multiculturalism
Heritage Language
Marriage Immigrant
Language Maintenance
Language Rights
Type
thesis
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-97-P94341004-1.pdf
Size
23.53 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):bf7e4db8e0dc6fa1a7462913b2c9e024