Bilingualism in Norway : A survey of language use and attitudes among teenage pupils at an International School

Abstract

We live in a world where the borders between nations and continents in many ways have become less significant. International co-operation has become a necessity, both in connection with political issues and in international trade. There is an increasing incidence of intermarriage, people are travelling all over the world and education has become more international. One of the consequences of all this is the increase of the importance of bilingualism in everyday life, especially in Western society. The focus of the present thesis is on prestigious bilinguals attending an International School. Prestigious bilinguals are defined as people who either speak two high-status languages, or who are of importance in their community. The present research has three main aims. The first aim was to map approximately one hundred pupils (attending the International School)according to their family s language strategy. The second aim was to map the respondents language use with their closest family members. It was found that mothers persist more in using their native tongue with their children than fathers do, and that girls use their mother s native tongue more when speaking with their mother than boys do. Also, children from families where the parents have the same linguistic background are less likely to switch language than children who have parents who speak different languages with their children. The third aim of the present investigation was to find out how prestigious bilingual fourteen to eighteen-year-olds experience their own bilingual life situation and aspects of their biculturalism. Again, it was found that while there was considerable individual variation, these bilinguals have common characteristics as well. Most variation was to be found in the answers to personal/cultural questions, e.g. "Do you feel that you change your personality when you change languages?", and most similarities were discovered in the answers to non-personal/-cultural questions e.g. "Do you code-switch?". To conclude, prestigious bilinguals as a group are difficult to define and one should be careful about making generalisations. However, the present research shows that it is possible to point out certain tendencies concerning language use and attitudes.