The Effects of Language Acquisition on Immigrant Societal Participation

Kresge, Ben; Yakovenko, Taya; Meza, Jair; Eskridge, Robert

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The Effects of Language Acquisition on Immigrant Societal Participation

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As immigration steadily increases in Iceland, a community of foreign-born individuals continues to grow. Whilst some of these foreigners may already have acquired the skill of English, most have not yet gained the ability to speak Icelandic at a culturally significant level. Iceland, being particular with the language and how it is utilized, manifests many invisible barriers to language acquisition, and hence participation in society. Individuals are hindered by their inability to communicate, affecting their ability to get jobs despite being qualified. Although not a hard requirement to be able to work in Iceland, the Icelandic language may open many more doors to higher paying jobs. Understanding the language at the highest level is also nearly required to participate in Icelandic politics. Some may be able to quickly get a synopsis of a political party's stance through the limited resources available, but direct participation is much more difficult to enter. Large communities of immigrants are also formed based on similar ethnicities and origins. This creates large diasporas of people who assist each other in day-to-day life, while also becoming a type of middleman in terms of translating resources for the larger group. This can provide a useful resource for newly settled individuals, but also decreases the likelihood that one ventures outside of the community. Children, being sponges for language, also begin to speak in English frequently, which poses a hindrance for their ability to learn the Icelandic language. Because of these barriers in the acquisition of the Icelandic language, many have difficulty participating in society in some facets.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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