The latest research on language and identity of Lithuanian emigrants

This review discusses the collective monograph Emigrantai: kalba ir tapatybe (Emigrants: Language and identity), authored by a team of Lithuanian Studies scholars led by Vilnius University professor Meilute Ramoniene and published in Vilnius in 2015. The volume brings the results of studies on the functioning of the Lithuanian language among emigrants conducted in 2011-2013, and presents its situation in North and South America, Australia, Africa and different European countries (Great Britain, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Italy and others). The study only excludes Lithuanian diaspora in Eastern European countries. The volume is based on a vast empirical base consisting of 20,206 sociolinguistic questionnaires (including 66 questions each) and 177 interviews (conducted in person or via Skype). The authors set out to study the linguistic behaviour and identity background of Lithuanian emigrants, and pursue a number of particular objectives: to define the scope of Lithuanian language use in various countries of the world, to acquire the data about its functioning in different spheres, to identify factors which decide-about its preservation, to describe the relations between language, identity and a sense of cultural belonging. All these issues are discussed in different chapters of the book. In their studies, Lithuanian researchers applied very modern approaches, inspired by various theoretical concepts of Western sociolinguistics.