Kate Hammer

This paper investigates shift in language dominance in sequential bilinguals following migration. Participants include 149 Polish-English bilinguals who relocated to the United Kingdom in early adulthood and underwent processes of acculturation and sociocultural integration. The independent variables in this study are divided into (1) sociocultural aspects, including: migration, acculturation level, social network profile, predicted future domicile; and (2) biographical aspects, including: age of onset of L2 acquisition (AoA), age at migration, and length of residence. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The findings revealed strong links between language dominance and sociocultural variables including acculturation level, social network profile, and predicted future domicile. The results showed that sociocultural integration is a strong predictor of shift in language dominance. This study adds sociocultural and dominance perspectives to current research on language development over lifespan, by documenting a shift in language dominance in young adult sequential bilinguals following migration.

This paper investigates the extent of second language (L2) use in four cognitive domains including mental calculation, planning (action plans), note-taking, and shopping lists. Participants include 149 highly educated L2-competent sequential Polish–English bilinguals who relocated to the UK¹in early adulthood, and underwent processes of acculturation. The independent variables in this study include acculturation level, social network profile, predicted future domicile, and length of residence. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Participants completed an online questionnaire and 14 were interviewed by the researcher. The study included the Complementarity Principle (CP) into the operationalisation and measurement of language use in bilinguals (Grosjean, 2010). The results show that acculturation level, social network profile, and predicted future domicile are strong predictors of the extent of L2 use in cognitive domains. Effects of context-specificity and language-dependence were also found, the latter specifically in the domain of mental calculation.

This paper investigates the extent of second language (L2) use in domains belonging to inner speech. The participants consist of 149 highly educated L2-competent sequential Polish-English bilinguals resident in the UK*. The independent variables include acculturation level, social network profile, length of residence, and predicted future domicile. The study combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches. All participants completed an online questionnaire, and 14 of these were also interviewed by the researcher. Results show that bilinguals who acculturate to a higher level, operate in majority L2-speaking social networks, and intend to remain in the UK indefinitely, use significantly more L2 across domains belonging to inner speech.

This presentation reports on an investigation into the links between proficiency level in the second language and degree of sociocultural integration in the host country following migration. Participants were 149 highly-educated young-adult sequential Polish-English bilinguals who had been resident in the UK for an average of eight years. Statistical analyses backed up with interview data show that the degree of acculturation and sociocultural integration are strongly linked to the ultimate proficiency level in the new language following migration

This paper investigates the perception of ‘being yourself’ when speaking in the second language (L2) in the context of mobility-migration. Participants consist of 149 highly educated sequential Polish-English bilinguals who relocated to the UK at the average age of 23, and underwent processes of acculturation. The independent variables in this study include acculturation level, social network profile, language of attachment in adulthood, language dominance, length of residence, predicted future domicile, gender, and age of L2 acquisition (AoA). The study employs both emic and etic approaches. The findings reveal strong links between the perception of being yourself in L2 and acculturation level, social network profile, language dominance, predicted future domicile, and language of attachment. The results show that sociocultural and psychological integration into the new society and culture are strongly linked to the perception of being yourself in L2. This study adds acculturation and attachment perspectives to current research on the perception of feeling different when using languages learnt later in life.

(2014). Linguistic and cultural acquisition in a migrant community. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 503-508.