One Person, Two Communities: A Study of Language Use and Language Attitude of Returned Taiwanese Brazilian Migrants in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Feng-Chin Lin, 林鳳靖
• Other Authors: Hui-Ju Hsu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/14586593659927071269

碩士 === 中原大學 === 應用外語研究所 === 97 === In Taiwan, language attitude research has emphasized the social-cultural, social-psychological, and educational factors that influence an individual’s language use and attitudes (Feifel, 1994; Huang, 1995; Chang, 1996; Young et al., 1992). Yet little research has done with regard to returned Taiwanese migrants. Many Taiwanese-born children arrive in Brazil as monolingual speakers of their heritage language, and develop into bilingual speakers as they acquire Portuguese. Some who were born in Brazil, on the other hand, may behave as Portuguese-speaking monolinguals in the non-family domain, or even maintain Portuguese-speaking households. After returning to Taiwan, both Taiwanese-born migrants and Brazilian-born migrants may vary on their language use. The current study investigated language use and language attitude among 10 returned Taiwanese Brazilian migrants. The participants had migrated to Brazil and lived there for several years. They had also been educated in Brazil over a number of years. However, later after becoming adults, they had returned to Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information, firstly, on the participants’ background, and language use in terms of two periods—after migrating to Brazil and after returning to Taiwan. Secondly, it was used to examine attitudes toward Mandarin, Portuguese, or other self-reported native languages in the two periods through 28 self-reported statements. In addition, an audio-recorded interview was used to investigate the relation between language use and language attitude. Results revealed that differences in the participants’ birthplaces were a significantly factor in their language use and attitudes. Five Brazilian-born returned participants identically regarded Portuguese as their native language while five returned Taiwanese-born participants considered at least one ancestral language as their native language(s). Their self-identified native languages were those languages in which they had native-like proficiency and which they had spoken since early childhood in the family domain only. Further, the findings empirically demonstrated that the participants who had acquired their heritage language to some degree before they migrated to Brazil tended to have greater attachment to their ancestral culture as well as language than did those who were born in Brazil. The findings also confirmed that a heritage language is generally associated with the participant’s cultural and ethnic background (Cho, 2000, p. 333). Consistent with empirical research described in the literature, this study indicated that the participants who perceived the attitude of their native languages with sentimental attachment sought to maintain these languages since they were positively related to their speech community’s cohesiveness and to the participants’ inclusion as a member of that community. On the other hand, the participants who perceived the attitude of their native languages with instrumental attachment simply demonstrated more of a concern for social status or economic benefits within a given society (Baker, 1995; Gardner, 1982; Young et al., 1992). Overall, this study might delineate the dynamic relation between language use and language attitude in returned Taiwanese Brazilian migrants in Taiwan. It also might provide heritage language teachers with a basis for understanding how returned Taiwanese Brazilian migrants’ attitudes toward their heritage language(s) relate to their unique migrant experience. In conclusion, this study pointed out the significance and limitations of its investigation and proposed suggestions for future research.