Language experience of immigrant women in bilingual couples with Poles

Abstract

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The article focuses on language experiences shared by female expatriates and aims to investigate the circumstances which are related to their language acquisition and communication in the couple. The research question concerns the degree of socialization of these women into the Polish language as adult bilinguals via marriages to Poles. Design/methodology/approach: Based on my recent data from in-depth interviews, analyzed by means of qualitative methodology, I concentrate on the sociolinguistic complexity of bilingual couples in Poland. Data and analysis: I analyze excerpts of interviews produced by eight couples of immigrant women who settled down in Poland to live with Poles. I investigate these women’s talk with regard to their subjective evaluations of language repertoires resulting from their individual histories of L2 acquisition and their language ideologies reflected in communication patterns with their Polish husbands. Findings/conclusions: My data suggest that language competence relates to the communication quality in cross-lingual and intercultural couples, as subjectively assessed by the target women. I found evidence for apparent reshuffles in language repertoires, an appreciation for formal language learning and the specific hierarchy of priorities in private communication. The results reveal language attitudes which affect the dyadic communication and the sense of ethnicity among mixed couples. Originality: The article views multilingualism and immigration from a new perspective by giving the voice to women living in bilingual couples. The novelty relies on the less studied Polish context where immigrant women from different ethnic backgrounds share language experiences and life situations. Significance/implications: This is significant because the qualitative investigation of the socialization process through language helps understand and interpret linguistic phenomena in terms of the meanings brought to intercultural relationships.

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