Language maintenance and language shift: community languages in Australia, 1996

There is a continuing significant shift to English spoken in the home among Australia’s established community language groups. There are also success stories in language maintenance. Factors influencing language use include the distribution of speakers, the age profile of the community, intermarriage patterns and cultural distance from Anglo-Australians. Australia-wide, the shift rates to English spoken at home range between three per cent from Macedonian and 62 per cent from Dutch in the first generation, and 15 per cent from Macedonian and 95 per cent from Dutch in the second generation. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s