Language Shift in Second Generation Albanian Immigrants in Greece

Albanian immigration to Greece started in the beginning of the 1990s and the
second generation of Albanian immigrants is a recent phenomenon. This paper
presents the findings of research investigating language maintenance/shift among
second generation Albanian immigrants in Athens using as main informants
adolescents of Albanian origin. Quantitative and qualitative data on children’s
language competence and on patterns of language use within Albanian households
indicate that the Albanian ethnolinguistic group is undergoing rapid
language shift. For the social psychological dimension of the study, data were
gathered by utilising the concept of ethnolinguistic vitality and some items of the
subjective vitality questionnaire (SVQ). The SVQ data indicate low vitality
perceptions among second generation Albanian immigrants. Finally, while
Albanian parents express positive attitudes to language maintenance, in practice
many do not take the necessary measures for intergenerational language
transmission.