<p>Today’s highly globalized and
mobile society can be characterized by constant interaction between dominant
and minority groups in one space, where migrant communities manage multiple
cultural and linguistic contexts, while remaining connected to their society of
origin. While the field of transnationalism addresses both the behavioral
(i.e., physical) and symbolic (i.e., emotional) ties to the origin community,
the role that language plays in establishing and maintaining such transnational
practices, and specifically symbolic transnationalism, is not well understood. Addressing
this gap, the current project aims to investigate the interconnection between
heritage language use and symbolic transnationalism through the analysis of 1.5
and 2<sup>nd</sup> generation Cubans in Miami. </p>
<p>The Cuban community in the US,
and more specifically, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, represents a relevant
case for in-depth investigation. While this population is comparable to other
Hispanic groups in the US on many levels (Duany, 2011), the long-standing
political opposition between the U.S. and Cuba have largely limited behavioral
transnational practices (e.g., visits to the country of origin, sending goods
and remittances) of the Cuban population. This broad lack of behavioral
transnationalism in the Miami Cuban community provides a unique opportunity to
examine symbolic transnational practices, effectively isolating two concepts
that are traditionally combined in the literature (Duff, 2015; Reynolds, 2006).</p>
<p>To investigate the
relations between language use and symbolic transnationalism, a mixed methods
study was conducted with 75 young adults of Cuban origin (1.5 and 2<sup>nd</sup>
generation), combining a quantitative questionnaire with face-to-face
sociolinguistic interviews. Quantitatively, data analysis centered on the
analysis of the degree of symbolic transnationalism and language use among 1.5
and 2<sup>nd</sup> generation groups, as well as statistical correlations
between sub-components of language use (history, proficiency, choice, and
value) and symbolic transnationalism (ways of doing and ways of belonging).
Qualitatively, a thematic analysis was conducted to distinguish the most prominent
external factors in the process of symbolic transnationalism maintenance or
development that surfaced in the discourse of the participants. Finally,
discourse analysis was used to investigate how symbolic transnationalism was reflected in linguistic structures,
such as deixis (i.e., terms indicating distance) and stance (i.e., expression
of feelings, judgement, and appreciation). </p>
<p>The analysis of the data provides
strong evidence for overarching links between the level of symbolic
transnationalism and language, such that greater affiliation with the culture
of origin is related to a greater use and importance of the heritage language.
In addition, qualitative results show that the external factors of the family
domain, the Miami environment and ethnic community, and the use of the Spanish
language in Miami, are among the most important for the maintenance and
development of symbolic transnationalism. Finally, discourse analysis revealed
that both 1.5 and 2<sup>nd</sup> generation groups use deictic and stance markers
to express personal and metaphorical proximity, as well as affect and
appreciation of the ethnic community, Cuba as a land, Cuba of the past, and
Cuban culture. In contrast, they express temporal and spatial distance as well
as markers of judgement with respect to Cuba of the present and its current
politics. </p>
<p>This study systematically
isolates the concept of symbolic transnationalism via a quantitative approach
and investigates its connection with language. Their direct correlation,
confirmed by the results, highlights symbolic transnationalism as a significant
variable to consider in sociolinguistic research with migrant communities, and
thus provides a solid theoretical base for bridging the disciplines of
linguistics and transnationalism. Moreover, this work employs a structural
linguistic approach (i.e., deixis and stance) to demonstrate how transnational
ties may be represented through linguistic structures, and thus it provides new
tools for understanding how minority communities express their transnational
connections. </p>
<p>On a practical level, this work
emphasizes the importance of the context and cross-cultural awareness in
language pedagogy. For heritage language learners, it underlines the
bi-directional relationship: language maintenance for sustaining transnational
ties, as well as development of heritage culture appreciation for more
effective heritage language development. Moreover, the findings with respect to
the interconnection between symbolic transnationalism and heritage language
use, emphasize the role of such aspects as sense of belonging, ethnic
community, family history and attitudes towards the country of origin on the
process of heritage language maintenance and self-identification with the
country and culture of origin. Finally, the findings of this work may be
applicable to second language students as well, emphasizing the importance of a
context-based approach to language acquisition, which plays a significant role
in developing productive cross-cultural communication.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/12056049 |
| Date | 16 April 2020 |
| Creators | Maria Yakushkina (8649474) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/LANGUAGE_USE_AND_SYMBOLIC_TRANSNATIONAL_PRACTICES_EVIDENCE_FROM_1_5_AND_SECOND_GENERATION_CUBANS_IN_MIAMI/12056049 |
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