The Impact of Ethnic Identity on Language Attitudes

Few studies have explored the relationship between ethnic identity and language attitudes in heritage language speakers. Via self-reported questionnaire data, the present study examined correlational and causal connections between ethnic identity and language attitudes in three generations of Israeli and American Mountain Jews. Native to the eastern Caucasus, Mountain Jews immigrated in the 1990s to Israel and the United States, bringing with them two heritage languages, Juhuri and Russian. The effect of ethnic identity on language attitudes emerged as strong for both Juhuri and Russian, but varied across countries, generations, languages, and types of attitudes. Strong correlations between ethnic identity and language attitudes were found for both heritage languages in Israel, but in the United States the connection between Russian and Mountain Jewish identity was lost across generations. Results are discussed in terms of previous research on heritage languages, identity and attitudes, and highlight the revival of ethnic identity among second-generation immigrants.