Spracherhalt oder Sprachverlagerung? Erstsprachgebrauch und Zweitsprachkompetenzen bei Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund
Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, (June 2016)Abstract
Immigrant youth’s disadvantages in second language proficiency are often
linked to first language use within the family. Extending the scope of previous
studies this paper additionally examines language use across three generations in
further contexts of everyday live and examines how these patterns relate to second
language competencies. Proficiency in the second language is seen as the result
of varying exposure structures and learning motivation. Using data of the German
National Educational Panel Study the analyses reveal that the first language is more
often used with parents than with siblings. Adolescents predominantly use German
to communicate with peers, but use media in both languages. Among pupils from
Turkey first language use is more pronounced across all contexts than among pupils
from Poland or the former Soviet Union. If German is the only language of communication with parents, this usually applies to other contexts as well. Adolescents who talk in a foreign language to their parents differ significantly with respect to their language use in further contexts. Using German with peers reduces linguistic deficits which are related to a non-German family language.