Publications

Publication details [#35649]

Taft, Ronald and Desmond Cahill. 1989. Mother tongue maintenance in Lebanese immigrant families in Australia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 10 (2) : 129–143.

Publication type

Article in journal

Publication language

English

Keywords

L1-acquisition | language maintenance | language use | linguistic competence | literacy

Language as a subject

Arabic, Lebanese | English, Australian

Place, Publisher

Multilingual Matters

ISBN

0143-4632

Journal WWW

www.multilingual-matters.com/multi/onlinej.asp

Annotation

This paper examines first language maintenance, including both spoken and written competence in the language and the use of it, in a sample of 10- to 11-year old Lebanese immigrant children in Melbourne. The Children's competence in Lebanese Arabic appeared mainly a function of their parents' literacy level, whilst their actual use of it reflected opportunities and necessities to speak the language.