LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE HERITAGE SPEAKERS

Abstract

Brazilians make up 1% of immigrants in the United States and this number continues to increase. Historically, Brazilians immigrated to the US in search of economic opportunities, for example, during periods of hyperinflation that followed the two-decade military rule in Brazil (Batalova 1). Today, one of the biggest challenges Brazilian descendant heritage speakers (HLS) face is maintaining their heritage language (HL) in monolingual environments. A HL can be defined as a language other than the dominant language that is spoken in the home, often without institutional, community, or formal support systems. A heritage language can also be defined as a language with which individuals have a personal connection (Fishman, Reversing Language Shift 362). Heritage languages are of utmost importance as “Language defines how one views the world, how they form their thoughts, with whom they identify, and what worlds are open to them. It is a precious, invaluable resource that is sought after by many people in a number of schools and institutions, an enviable asset” (Vallance 3). Hence, without one’s heritage language, they face disadvantages as well as miss part of their identity. In this study, I focus on Brazilian Portuguese (BPT), which is the national language of Brazil, the seventh most spoken language in the world and second most common romance language (Boyce). Those who successfully maintain their HL usually had access to a number of resources that facilitated the maintenance of their language skills. In the modern-day globalized world, speaking a second language or being bilingual creates new opportunities and allows one to preserve their connection to their heritage culture. There are several techniques and methods that have been shown to work in improving and maintaining fluency in a HL. This paper presents a collection of resources on this topic and compares and contrasts them to a small-scale study where BPT HLS are asked questions about their language habits and their language fluency. Of a total of eight participants, three were contacted for additional study and completed a borrowed-word assessment activity; they also answered questions based on my preliminary conclusions. The findings of the study offer insights into HL maintenance and the importance of factors, such as cultural identity and language perception. Using the study, I identify aspects like cultural competence, socialization, family support, formal instruction, language perception and language material consumption, and examine how they influence HL maintenance. Furthermore, I identify the impact that these aspects have on HL maintenance and offer suggestions on how to maintain a HL and how to overcome potential challenges in HL maintenance.