The social and symbolic aspects of languages in the narratives of young (prospective) migrants

When talking about language in the context of research regarding children and migration, the focus tends to be on proficiency in the receiving country's language as an indicator of successful integration and/or for its role in educational achievement. This article explores the social and symbolic aspects of language in the narratives of young Ghanaian migrants to Italy at several levels: that of global hierarchies of power as expressed through the prestige offered by different languages; that of the expectations for linguistic assimilation and linguistic maintenance which centre around migrant children; and that of young people's challenging of adult rules through the instrumental use of different languages