Living with diversity and change: intergenerational differences in language and identity in the Somali community in Britain

Abstract

The Somali community in Britain has been portrayed as largely homogenous and rather problematic, unwilling to integrate into mainstream British society, a perception that is reinforced by the media and government policies. The government policies tend to ignore the internal diversity and change that the community is experiencing. Drawing on data from a family language policy project, this paper aims to explore intergenerational changes in language preference and use and associated issues of identity within the Somali community in Britain. We look at how the changes in language preference and practice manifest themselves through reported language use and language policies at home, how the changes are affecting the British Somali youths in particular, and how ideas of Somaliness and Britishness are negotiated on an individual level, as well as on a community-wide level through Somali-led organisations. And we highlight the work that the community is doing to tackle issues of intergenerational language shift and Somali identity building. The study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the struggles of the Somali community in Britain in dealing with diversity and change, an understanding that is crucial to the development of appropriate policies regarding the community.

‘Somali parents feel like they’re on the outer’: Somali mothers’ experiences of parent–teacher relationships for their autistic children

“…The current study sought to examine the experiences of Somali migrant parents of autistic children within an Australian context. While the Somali community is relatively established in the UK (Abdullahi & Wei, 2021) and the United States (US) (Hall-Lande et al, 2018), in Australia this more recently established community is growing, with a 31.8% increase in Somalia-born people recorded between 2006 and 2011 (Department of Home Affairs, 2018). Around 2% of all migrants arriving in Australia in 2016 were from Somali backgrounds (Harvey et al, 2020).…”

Spaces of Multilingualism

“…Many of the Somali youths we interviewed in our recent study of their multilingual practices in London explicitly argued that English is their language too. And they are very proud of the fact that they use English as a primary language of communication in their everyday life (see Abdullahi and Li, 2021). This is not about not wanting to be bilingual or multilingual; these youths know Somali too.…”