Identity formation, cross-cultural attitudes and language maintenance in the Hungarian Diaspora of Queensland

Abstract

[Abstract]: The purpose of this paper is to discuss some cultural factors influencing the language maintenance and shift patterns of the Hungarian community of Brisbane. This paper examines language shift in the context of language use in the family domain and discusses the connections between the development of cross-cultural attitudes (attitudes to the host society as well as the home culture), identity development and language maintenance and shift. The empirical evidence based on a sociolinguistic survey suggests that Hungarians attach great value to their language. Keeping a strong Hungarian identity is a strong factor in intergenerational language maintenance, and the development of dual identities does not necessarily lead to language shift. Dual identity can be an additive rather than a subtractive force in the development of Hungarian-English bilinguality.