C-17-ISBN-978-951-9266-98-5-Significance of Cultural
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This research focuses on the significance of heritage culture and language among second and third generation informants. The study discusses how second and third generation Australian Finns have experienced language and culture contact, what their linguistic and cultural competence is and what their attitudes are towards their heritage and their ethnic or multicultural identity. These issues are also relevant to the future of Finnish language and culture in multicultural Australia. Data consists of in depth interviews of selected diverse informants. The report discusses the relevance of background factors traditionally considered in acculturation research, informants' language skills and features oflanguage contact, the role of cultural elements in the lives of second and third generation migrants, and issues of identity. The post-doctoral project was funded by the Academy of Finland and was undertaken at the Institute of Migration in Turku, Finland and the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Siirtolaisuusinstituutti ....--="~ Migrationsinstitutet Institute of Migration ACADEMY OF FINLAND ~ THE UNIVERSITY ~ ?~s ~~:~~SLAND School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies Migration Studies C 17 Tiina Lammervo Significance of cultural heritage, language, and identity to second and third generation migrants: the case of Finns in Australia Institute of Migration Turku 2009 Institute of Migration Eerikinkatu 34, 20100 Turku Finland http://www.migrationinstitute.fi Layout: Newprint Cover photos: A. Geraghty, M. Lammervo ISBN 978-951-9266-98-5 ISSN 0356-780X Newprint Oy, Raisio 2009 3 Foreword and acknowledgements After completing a research project on first generation Finnish migrants in Australia, I was left with a myriad of unanswered questions concerning the following generations and what Finnish heritage meant to them. Discussion with Elli Heikkila, Research Director at the Institute of Migration, resulted in my writing the ideas down as a research plan and application for funding. This study presents the outcome of a three year post doctoral research project funded by the Academy of Finland. The research was undertaken in 2007-2009 at the Institute of Migration in Turku and at the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. I wish to thank the Academy of Finland for granting the funding for this project and the Institute of Migration for supporting my application and providing the facilities to undertake the work. I would also like to thank the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland for welcoming me as a visiting scholar and Honorary Research Consultant while I worked in Brisbane. I am grateful to the Finnish community in Brisbane for their warm welcome when we returned to Australia after a few years absence. Special thanks are due to the informants who agreed to discuss their migrant experience and welcomed me to their homes. This project would not have been possible without their co-operation. Support and advice from colleagues has been invaluable during the many stages of the work. I wish to thank Director Olavi Koivukangas for supporting the funding application, Research Director Elli Heikkila for helping with everything from administration issues to the final draft of the manuscript, Professor Roly Sussex for advice with analysis and structure of report, Lecturer Hannele lonsson-Korhola for expert advice in the Finnish language and ideas for the manuscript and Dr Maryam lamarani for encouragement, ideas and many good conversations on migrant issues we are both enthusiastic about. Many thanks also to trainees at the Institute of Migration who helped to transcribe data and search for and work through reference literature, and staff at the Institute of Migration and the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies for sharing a supportive working environment. Brisbane, December 2009 Tiina Lammervo 4 List of abbreviations BCC Bicultural competence CALD Culturall y and linguistically diverse CL Community language CMC Computer mediated communication Csf Contemporary spoken Finnish ESL English as a second language GAPS General assisted passage scheme LCP Language contact phenomena LOTE Languages other than English NESB Non-English speaking background RAEM Relative acculturation extended model SMS Short message service SOSE Study of society and environment SPAP Special passage assistance program 5 List of contents Foreword and acknowledgements List of abbreviations 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 8 2. Background to the study ................................................................ 12 Australian Finns and Finnish language and culture in Australia ........................ 12 Multilingual and multicultural Australia ............................................................. 13 Theories of culture contact ........ ......................................................................... 20 Culture and identity ............................................................................................ 23 3. How the study was conducted ................................................................ 30 Research questions .... ... .... ................................................................................... 30 Informants ........................... .. .............................................................................. 32 Data collection and analysis ................................................................................ 32 4. Cases ................................................................................................ 36 Second generation ..................................................................... ... ....... .. .... ....... ... 36 Third generation .................................................................................................. 40 5. Subjective sense of belonging - language and culture ................. 42 5.1. }'actors affecting maintenance or loss of language and/or culture .............. 42 Presence of non-English speakers in the household .......................................... 42 Visitors from the home country .......................................................................... 43 New migrants ....................................................................................... ...... ... ... .. 45 Extended families ............................................................................................... 47 Endogamous families or exogamous families using the one parent one language principle .............................................................................................. 49 Individual and family visits to the home country .............................................. 51 Return - dream or reality .................................................................................... 56 Access to one's community language via electronic, visual and other media .... 59 Access to local Finnish community .................................................................... 62 Comparing countries, migration attitudes .......................................................... 66 5.2. Language - skill and use .................................................................................. 70 Self-evaluated Finnish skills .............................................................................. 71 Finnish use and attitude towards Finnish in second and third generations ......... 75 6 Intergenerationallanguage maintenance ............................................................. 84 The role of English ............................................................................................. 88 Language contact phenomena in recorded speech ............................................. 92 Summary ............................................................................................................ 98 5.3. Role of cultural elements in life spheres ...................................................... 101 Core sphere ...................................................................................................... 101 Sisu, sauna, Sibelius - traditional Finnish cultural markers ................. 101 Puukko - Finnish knife ......................................................................... 107 Celebrating holidays, weddings, confirmation and funerals ................. 108 Religion ................................................................................................ 113 Connection to nature, climate and weather .......................................... 114 Work ethic ............................................................................................. 116 Cleanliness ............................................................................................ 117 Intermediate sphere ........................................................................................... 118 Food and drink ...................................................................................... 118 Coffee schema ....................................................................................... 123 Home decoration ................................................................................... 126 Australian Finnish community ............................................................. 129 Public sphere ....................................................................................................