Attitudes towards languages and cultures of young Polish adolescents in Iceland

Abstract

This preliminary study examines the attitudes to Icelandic, Polish and English languages and cultures of four young Polish adolescents in Iceland. Its aim was to establish their motivation to learn Icelandic as well as to maintain their heritage language and culture. Also investigated was whether English was an impediment to their acquisition of Icelandic. Interviews, in Polish and Icelandic, were undertaken. It was found that the adolescents were motivated to learn Icelandic, to integrate into Icelandic society and to maintain their Polish heritage. In this sense, they lived in “two worlds,” maintaining close bonds with their Polish heritage, while also integrating into Icelandic society. English was not impeding their integration. Unlike some of their parents, they could imagine living in Iceland in the future, as they saw Iceland as a place where they could “fulfill themselves.”

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