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Integration: knowing, measuring, evaluating 17-18 giugno 2013
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Measuring and analyzingimmigrants’ linguistic integration
Marc TermoteDépartement de démographie, Université de Montréal
Office québécois de la langue française
Four steps
1. Methodological problems
2. Defining linguistic indicators
3. Empirical results
4. Policy implications
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
1. Methodological problems (1)
Linguistic integration determines the whole integration process
Language is more than a means of communication : it is also the expression of a culture, of an identity
A multiplicity of indicators needed for analyzing a complex multidimensional process
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
1. Methodological problems (2)
The usual linguistic life history provides the basis for a set of indicators :
- Mother tongue
- Language spoken at home
- Language used during schooling
- Languages « known »
- Language used at work
- Language used for shopping
- Language used for social and cultural activities process
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
1. Methodological problems (3)
For most individuels and in most societies :
- same language all over the linguistic trajectory
- no distinction between private use and public use
Exceptions:
- plurilingual societies (but : jus soli …)
- immigrants
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
1. Methodological problems (4)
For most immigrants : need to distinguish private space and
public space (exception : those using already the language of
the country of immigration)
BUT
- Distinction between private and public is not clear
- Interaction between language used in private and language
used in public
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
1. Methodological problems (5)
Multiplicity of linguistic indicators, particularly for language
used in public space
Favouring a particular indicator is highly questionable
Need to combine various indicators in order to measure
linguistic integration
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
2. Defining linguistic indicators (1)
Mother tongue: first learned at home in childhood (and still
understood ?)
Language spoken at home:
- « most often » (thus: one single answer …)
- others, on a « regular » basis
Languages « known » : how to define « knowledge of a
language » ? « speak well enough to conduct a
conversation » ?
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
2. Defining linguistic indicators (2)
Language spoken : combining the 3 previous indicators
(Statistics Canada) – transition between private and public
use
Language at school : in most cases, no choice
Language at work : complex and multiple
- written/oral
- type of activity
- hierarchical level
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
2. Defining linguistic indicators (3)
Language used for shopping : very complex
- public notices, welcoming, service
- location
- type of commercial activity
- frequency
Language used for socio-cultural activities :
- private/public ?
- multiple and varying
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
2. Defining linguistic indicators (4)
Summarizing :
Private language : relatively less complex; if one indicator
to be favoured : language spoken at home (mother tongue
of children)
Public language : very complex, no indicator to be
favoured, need for surveys
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
2. Defining linguistic indicators (5)
Measuring linguistic integration :
Usual way : combining mother tongue and language
spoken at home, but limited to private language, and :
when, where ?
Extreme difficulty to measure integration with respect to
public language (but significance ?)
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
3. Empirical results (1)
Few immigrants abandon their mother tongue at home
- ex Canada : 45 % over life time
- Canada, USA : 2d-3d generation
Over one year, after immigration : 1-2 % (estim. Canada
by following imm. cohort)
Almost no substitution after age 40 (mean age of
immigrants : 27-30)
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
3. Empirical results (2)
Most linguistic substitutions at ages 5-14 (role of schooling)
First years on labor market and exogamy are crucial in
« fixing » substitution due to schooling
Linguistic substitutions take a lot of time
Linguistic mobility of immigrants has marginal impact on
linguistic composition of population
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
3. Empirical results (3)
A set of 5 multistate projection experiences (Termote,
1988-2011) : all scenarios produce continuing decline of
French in Quebec and English in Rest of Canada, and very
fast increase of « other » languages
- Note: Montreal Island (⅟4 Quebec pop.) 2011 : French 48,5
% mother tongue, 53,0 % home language.
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
4. Policy implications (1)
Policy measures may intervene only on language used in
public space
Most language substitutions in public space (schooling,
working, shopping in language of immigration country) are
« forced » : is this « linguistic integration » ?
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
4. Policy implications (2)
Immigrants’ linguistic behavior in public space may lead to
substitution in private space, but after a lot of time (2-3
generations)
In the long run, crucial role of language spoken at home
(intergenerational transfers)
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
4. Policy implications (3)
Dominant role of demographic behavior in determining the
future linguistic composition of a population
Therefore, invest in data and analysis of fertility and
migration (internal and international) of immigrant groups
(demolinguistics)
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
4. Policy implications (4)
Need to take into account the spatial dimension :
immigrants are concentrated in a few major metropolitan
areas
In these areas, increasing gap between language used in
private space and language used in public space
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
4. Policy implications (5)
If immigration policy based mainly on humanitarian
objectives (family reunification, refugees): cumulative
process favouring decline of national language
Difficult to select immigrants « knowing » language of the
immigration country (illegals…)
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
4. Policy implications (6)
Final conclusion
We have to accept that:
(1) linguistic integration, and therefore integration as a whole,
is a very slow, difficult and multidimensional process
(2) policy measures to accelerate the process have a limited
efficiency.
Measuring and analyzing immigrants’ linguistic integration | Marc Termote | Rome 17 - 18 June 2013
G R A Z I E !