A cross-generational study of sociolinguistic behaviour among algerian immigrants in france

Abstract

This investigation is concerned with the community of Algerian immigrants in France and the maintenance or shift and transmission of their language of origin. Through the use of different methods and tools for data collection and analysis, the research provided insightful results regarding the linguistic practices of these individuals at both the intergenerational and the intragenerational level. It was revealed that the three generations of immigrants code-switch differently, the first generation being AA dominant and the second and third being French dominant. In addition, heritage language shift starts at the level of second-generation immigrants with the manifestation of attrition signs at the phonetic, lexical and syntactic levels. Finally, although the maintenance and transmission of the heritage language depends on a combination of factors, age of immigration, age of first exposure to AA and frequency of its use proved to be particularly influencing