December 4, 2017 2 Comments latl ITML3 Language maintenance and shift among Arabic Jordanians in Christchurch, New Zealand Mohamad Dagamseh University of Canterbury CC BY 4.0 Cite as: Dagamseh, M. (2017, December). Language maintenance and shift among Arabic Jordanians in Christchurch, New Zealand. Paper presented at the Third UC Intergenerational Transmission of Minority Languages Symposium: Challenges and Benefits. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5661775 SCROLL DOWN TO END OF PAGE FOR COMMENTS Some studies (see Al-Sahafi, 2010; Tawalbeh, 2017) show that there is a lack of research on some minority groups such as Arabs in New Zealand. My study examines the process of language maintenance, shift and attitudes towards both Arabic and English among Arabic Jordanians in Christchurch/New Zealand. My data were collected through structured questionnaires and structured interviews and the data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that there was heritage language maintenance in all domains (e.g. home, friends and religion). And there were some regression in their Arabic proficiency especially in reading and Writing skills. Moreover, the attitudinal results showed that Arabic Jordanians in Christchurch were very positive towards both Arabic and English languages. References Al-Sahafi, M. (2010). The dynamics of language maintenance among Arabic-speaking Muslim immigrant families in New zealand. The University of Auckland. Tawalbeh, A. Z. (2017). Pre and Post Migration: Identity, Language Use and Attitudes among the Wellington Iraqi Community.
