Language shift occurs when a population changes from using an old language to a new one. It is a social phenomenon driven by changes in society. There are several factors that can contribute to language shift, including economic, social, political, demographic, and attitude-related reasons. Maintaining minority languages often requires institutional support through education, administration, religion, and media to help the language survive.

1. Language Shift
and
Factors
Contributing to it
Discussant: Nica F. Asoque

2. Language shift is a social
phenomenon, whereby
one language replaces
another in a society due to
underlying changes in the
composition and aspirations
of the society.

3. Language shift means the
process, or the event, in
which a population
changes from using an old
language to a new one.

4. According to Hoffman
(1896), Language shift is
always preceded by
multilingualism.

5. Language Shift is
different from
Language Change.

6. Language shift is a social
phenomenon, whereby one
language replaces another in a
given (continuing) society. On the
other hand, Language Change can
be seen as evolution, the transition
from older to newer forms of the
same language.

7. Language
Shift
Language
Change

8. Language shift results in the spread of
the new language that is adopted, and
may result in the endangerment or loss
of the old language. Language shift may
be an object of conscious policy; but
equally it may be a phenomenon which
is unplanned, and often unexplained.

9. General Theory and
Background of Language
Shift

10. The authors show that the number of
speakers cannot be considered the
most important criterion in trying to
anticipate language survival or death.
Instead, natural transmission and
intergenerational use are indicated.
Bonfil Batalla, G. 1996. La teoría del control cultural en el
estudio de los procesos étnicos. Acta sociológica 18:11–54.

11. The background to language shift is
theorized in terms of a theory of
cultural control, whereby a social
group becomes alienated and
accepting of external institutions.
Mackey, W. F. 2001. The ecology of language shift. In The
ecolinguistics reader: Language, ecology, and environment. Edited
by Alwin Fill and Peter Mühlhäusler, 67–74. London and New York:
Continuum.

12. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING
TO LANGUAGE SHIFT
What are the factors contributing
to language shift?

13. The reasons are often Economic,
Social and Political. There are
also factors contributing to
language shift such as
Demographic factors, Attitudes
and Values.

14. 1. The Economic Factor:
Language shift often reflects the
influence of economic factors,
such as the need for work.
People may shift both location
and language for this reason.

15. Obtaining work is the most
obvious economic reason for
learning another language. In
English-dominated countries, for
instance, people learn English in
order to get good jobs. This
results in bilingualism.

16. Over the last couple of countries,
many speakers of Irish, Scottish Gaelic
and Welsh, for instance, have shifted
to England, and consequently to
English, primarily in order to get work.
They need English both for their job
success and for their social well-
being-to make friends.

17. 2. Social factor:
There is pressure from the wider
society. Immigrants who look and
sound ‘different’ are often regarded as
threatening by majority group
members. There is pressure to conform
in all kind of ways.

18. Language shift to English, for instance,
has often been expected of migrants
in predominantly monolingual
countries such as England, the United
States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Speaking good English has been
regarded as a sign of successful
assimilation.

19. For instance, in a small language
community language shift occurs
when the community sees no reason
to take active steps to maintain their
ethnic language. When a community
of speakers moving to a region whose
language is different, there is a
tendency to shift to the new
language.

20. As an example, there is a
language shift among the
second born Telugu immigrants
in New Zealand. Their ability to
use English enables them to
integrate and settle in an English
speaking country.

21. 3. Political factor:
A rapid shift occurs when
people are anxious to ‘get on’ in
a society where knowledge of
the second language is a
prerequisite for success.

22. Political factor imposes on language
shift. In a multilingual country, the
authority usually chooses one
language as the lingua franca to
unify various kinds of ethnic
groups. Consequently, the number
of ethnic language speakers
decreases.

23. Another example, the official
languages of many African
countries were determined by
their former colonialists.
Philippines is also a multi-lingual
country. There are 170 languages
and dialects in the country.

24. 4. Demographic factor:
Firstly, demographic factor plays the
role in the process of language shift.
When there is a community of speakers
moving to a region or a country whose
language is different from theirs, there
is a tendency to shift to the new
language.

25. Resistance to language shift tends
to last longer in rural than in
urban areas because rural groups
tend to be isolated from the
centers of political power. The
rural people can meet most of
their social needs in the ethnic or
minority language.

26. 5. Attitudes and Values:
Language shift tends to be slower among
communities where the minority
language is highly valued. When the
minority group support the use of the
minority language, it helps them to resist
the pressure from the majority group to
switch language.

27. Negative attitudes towards the
language can also accelerate
language shift. It occurs where
the ethnic language is not highly
valued and is not seen as a
symbol of identity.

28. To sum up, language shift is an
interesting and inevitable linguistic
phenomenon. The factors which
trigger the shift vary from one
language community to another.
Some of them are demographic,
attitude and values, economic,
social, and political factors.

29. How can a minority
language be maintained?

30. There are certain factors
which seem to retard wholesale
language shift for a minority
language group, at least for a
time. Language is considered an
important symbol of a minority
group’s identity.

31. Institutional support generally
makes the differences between
success and failure in maintaining
a minority group language.
Education, law and administration,
religion and the media are crucial
domains from this point of view.

32. REFERENCES:
Holmes, Janet. 1992. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Person
Education
Bayer, Jennifer Marie. (2005). Sociolinguistic Perspectives of Cultures in Transition
Indian Tribal Situation. Language in India. 5(March)
http://www.languageinindia.com
Hoffman, C. (1991). An Introduction to Bilingualism. London: Longman
Holmes, Janet. (2008). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Longman
Kuncha, Rekha and Hanoku Bathula. (2006). The Role of Attitude in Language Shift
and Language Maintenance in a New Immigrant Community: A Case Study.
Working Paper 1(April): 6.
Samadi. SP. Pelestarian Bahasa Jawa Melalui Sekolah. 20 March 2007.

33. Thank you.