Migration, host-country language learning, and the influence of global English
A four-year project funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) Grant no 2018-03559. The purpose of the project is to examine the language choices of migrants to Sweden who speak English.
OVERVIEW
For many immigrants arriving in Sweden, English is the default language of communication. An important asset in social interaction, English can also be a barrier to developing fluency and comprehensibility in Swedish. These ‘soft language skills’ are of crucial importance for successful integration. However, they cannot be adequately acquired in formal learning (Derwing & Munro, 2013). Consequently, each time English is used in social interaction, an opportunity to develop communicative competence in Swedish is lost.
Taking a transdisciplinary approach, and using a longitudinal, qualitative design, the project will examine factors influencing the language choices of immigrants with prior knowledge of English. In addition to providing insights into the influences of English on communication in a host-county language, the project extends the research frontier by taking a multilingual perspective.
Forskningsområde
- Barn- och ungdomsvetenskap
Forskningsmiljö / Institution
- Barn och unga
- Institutionen för individ och samhälle
Medverkande Högskolan Väst
Övriga projektmedverkande
Cape Breton University, Canada
Peter MacIntyre
Forskningspartner
- Cape Breton University
Projekttid
2019 - 2020
Kontakt