On the fringes of a diaspora : an appraisal of the literature on language diaspora and globalization in relation to a family of Tamil-speaking, Sri Lankan migrants to South Africa

Govender, Shanali Candice

On the fringes of a diaspora : an appraisal of the literature on language diaspora and globalization in relation to a family of Tamil-speaking, Sri Lankan migrants to South Africa

Master Thesis

2012

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Linguistics

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

While the language attitudes and reported behaviours of migrants have long been of interest to linguists, educationalists and sociologists, increased levels of global mobility and technological activity are changing the nature of migration. This mini-thesis considers competing paradigms of mobility including diaspora, transnationalism and super-diversity and emerges at the recognition that the shape of migration has changed considerably over the last 20 years, especially in the South African context. This new migration, characterised in this paper as a shift from diaspora to transnationalism, might have significant consequences for the way migrants conceptualise host countries and countries of origin. This study sought to investigate the language attitudes and behaviours of a family of recent Sri Lankan migrants to South Africa. The aim of the study was to describe their attitudes and reported language behaviours, and having done so, to consider whether, in theory, any of these language attitudes or behaviours might be related to longer-term language attitudes and behaviours such shift, maintenance or loss.

Description

Includes abstract.

Includes bibliographical references.

Keywords

Linguistics

Reference:

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Masters

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