The Impact on Language Maintenance and Studies Among Third-and Fourth-Generation Turkish Students in Melbourne, in the Era of COVID-19

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

Research on maintaining Turkish among third- and fourth-generation students enrolled in heritage language study is situated within a broader ethnographic project on Family Language Policy (FLP) of second- and third-generation Turkish parents in Melbourne, Australia. It examines family strategies for language choice and heritage language maintenance practices, and explores how declining Turkish enrollment affects maintenance outcomes. Data from 45 bilingual families was gathered via participant observation and in-depth intergenerational interviews. The study also considers COVID-19 school closures, remote learning, online discussions, and how education complements home as a maintenance domain.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background of Turkish language schools in Australia

Ethnolinguistic vitality framework (EV)

Dilbilim Dergisi Journal of Linguistics Dilbilim Dergisi-Journal of Linguistics 38,(2022): 61-77 DOI: 10.26650/jol.2022.1156657 Research Article The Impact on Language Maintenance and Studies Among Third-and Fourth-Generation Turkish Students in Melbourne, in the Era ofCOVID-19 Tülay ET-BOZKURT* *(Dr.), Tilburg University, Tilburg School of Humanities, Tilburg, Netherlands ORCID: T. E. B. 0000-0002-4817-2499 Corresponding author: Tülay ET-BOZKURT, Tilburg University, Tilburg School of Humanities, Tilburg, Netherlands [E-mail: e.tulay@tilburguniversity.edu](E-mail: e.tulay@tilburguniversity.edu) [Submitted:](Submitted: 05.08.2022)[ 05.08.2022](Submitted: 05.08.2022) [Accepted:](Accepted: 18.08.2022)[ 18.08.2022](Accepted: 18.08.2022) Citation: Et-Bozkurt, T (2022) .“The impact on language maintenance and studies among third-and fourth-generation Turkish students in Melbourne, in the era of COVID-19". Dilbilim Dergisi-Journal of Linguistics, 38, 61-77. [https://doi.org/10.26650/jol.2022.1](https://doi.org/10.26650/jol.2022.1)156657 ABSTRACT The research into the maintenance of the Turkish language amongst third-and fourth-generation of Turkish students enrolled into the study of the heritage language is part of a greater ethnographic study on Family Language Policy (FLP) of second-and third-generation Turkish parents in Melbourne, Australia. The study investigated the strategies implemented by families in promoting language choice and methods towards maintenance practices ofthe heritage language. The research also begins to reveal the impact of declining enrolment numbers into the study of the Turkish language and its impact on language maintenance. Data was collected on the language beliefs and practices of forty-five bilingual families through participant observation and in-depth interviews amongst intergenerational family members including parents, children, and grandparents. The current research stemmed from the initial study to investigate an extensive element specific to the maintenance and study of the Turkish language. The subsequent research was instigated during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby school closures and remote learning were prominent. Families with students enrolled into the study of the Turkish language took part in an online chat forum discussing the impact onsite school closures had on the maintenance of Turkish studies and the continued declining enrolment numbers. Whilst the family home remains for most migrant communities the main domain for language maintenance, formal studies of language education offer an additional platform derived towards heritage language practice as a further strategy in family language policy and planning. The findings reveal that whilst the study of the Turkish language was once a foundation essential for heritage language maintenance amongst the implementations of firstgeneration Turkish parents, raising their children bilingual; current data reflects a shift in generations to follow second-generation Turkish. The findings reveal the declining enrolment numbers into the study of the Turkish language as an additional factor to the shift in language preference and language maintenance. Keywords: Turkish, language maintenance, language studies, language schools, language education, community language, heritage language, bilingualism, Family Language Policy, Melbourne This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License The Impact on Language Maintenance and Studies Among Third-and Fourth-Generation Turkish Students... 1. Introduction Migrant communities in Australia have long established language schools in an effort to serve, as an additional platform to the family home, the implementation towards heritage language maintenance. The Victorian School of Languages (VSL), a government school, commenced its first Saturday class of Community Language Schools (CLS) in 1935, set up by the Victorian Departmen

FAQs

What population does the study focus on in Melbourne?

The study focuses on third- and fourth-generation Turkish students who are enrolled in heritage language study in Melbourne, along with intergenerational family members.

Which factors does the research examine regarding language maintenance?

It examines family strategies for language choice and heritage language maintenance practices, and also investigates the effect of declining enrollment numbers. It further considers COVID-19 school closures and remote learning as contextual influences.

How was the data collected and from whom?

Data were collected from 45 bilingual families using participant observation and in-depth interviews with parents, children, and grandparents.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai