Abstract
This research is intended to determine the current status of language maintenance among second generation Bangladeshi immigrants living in London. This study explores Bangladeshi immigrants' opinions on maintaining their native language "Bangla". This research integrates qualitative and quantitative research methods and the data of this study was collected through a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. The target group for this study were second generation non-Sylheti Bangladeshi immigrants living in London. The total number of participants was 25. The age range of the participants was 31- 42 years. All the participants were collected through the researcher’s personal network. Collected raw data from questionnaire survey has been analysed statistically using Microsoft Excel (frequency counts and percentages) and the qualitative data analysed based on the participants’ answers. The result from both survey and interview delineates that the participants want to maintain the Bangla language as their heritage language and express positive attitudes toward maintaining Bangla language. There are various factors like promoting Bangla culture, exposure to Bangla language that contribute to the maintenance of Bangla language. The findings and results also illustrate that among second-generation non-Sylheti Bangladeshi immigrants, the language shift from Bangla to English can be termed as a ‘partial shift’ rather than complete shift. The shift takes place for specific purposes like getting good job, communicating with others, adapt to the majority culture. The findings of this study will also add value to the sociolinguistic area for further research about this community’s language shift and maintenance.
Author Information
Murshida Rahman, Texas Tech University, United States
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