This study examines patterns of language use among immigrants in Germany. It addresses the conditions under which adults continue to speak the language of the country of origin at home instead of shifting to German. Differences in language use are perceived as a consequence of opportunities for employing a certain language and the incentives associated with using it. The analyses are based on data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). They reveal that language use varies across groups. Ethnic Germans from Poland and the Former Soviet Union speak the language of the country of origin at home less often than other immigrants from these regions. At the same time, adults from the Former Soviet Union use the language of origin more often than those from Poland. Adults from Turkey, in contrast, employ mostly Turkish. In all groups under investigations, migrant adults tend to speak German at home more often than they did during childhood. Group differences in language use can in part be traced back to linguistic preconditions and to the network composition. © 2015, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.

Language use immigrants second language Germany First language

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