Diversity of languages and cultures in Lithuanian cities: The case of Kaunas city

Abstract

The European Union language policy promotes multilingualism. To maintain such a policy it is necessary to investigate the usage of languages in different spheres of life, both in formal and informal environments. According to the data of the latest Census of Lithuanian Residents (2001), there are 115 nationalities living in Lithuania. The data also indicate which languages are considered to be native languages among different nationalities. However, it is not clear what languages are actually used at home. This paper presents the preliminary results of research carried out under the project "Language Use and Ethnic Identity in Lithuanian Cities". This project aims at investigating languages used at home in the biggest Lithuanian cities to find out the language dominance, choice, preference and competence. The research data were selected by questioning 8 to 10 year old pupils in major Lithuanian cities: Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaip!da. The paper focuses on Kaunas city and discusses the answers of Kaunas' schoolchildren. The preliminary results reflect the tendencies of the real linguistic situation in the city.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5128/ERYa5.03

Keywords

• questionnaire
• home language
• language preference
• language dominance
• language competence
• ethnic identity
• Lithuanian
• English
• Russian