Croatian framed by English: The language of Australian Croatians as a ‘first’ and ‘second language’

U ovome se radu raspravlja o položaju drugoga jezika u multikulturalnome liberalnom egalitarnome okružju. Središnji problem koji se raščlanjuje je ``getoizacija\u27\u27 kao jedna strana i asimilacija kao druga strana. Obje su povezane liberalnim postulatom iskazanim frazom `sloboda izbora\u27 koju autor smatra jako ovisnom o diskurzivnome kontekstu trenutka. Hrvatski je jezik u Australiji 1979. službeno priznat jezikom zajednice u skladu s tadašnjom vladinom multikulturalnom politikom. Od 1980. poučava ga se u srednjim školama, a od 1983. prisutan je i u trećemu obrazovnome stupnju kao jedan od neengleskih jezika (eng. languages other than English - LOTE). Dan je osvrt na trenutan status hrvatskoga jezika u Australiji, prikazana je kratka povijest njegova prisustva na tome kontinentu i jezičnoga otklona od hrvatskoga ka engleskome, te osebujan `koine\u27 koji se razvio kod prvoga i drugoga naraštaja unatoč njihova čakavskoga, kajkavskoga ili štokavskoga podrijetla. Također je dan pregled načina poučavanja hrvatskoga i mjesta gdje ga se poučava, broja govornika hrvatskoga, najvažnijih utjecaja na jezični otklon i djelovanja međusobnog posuđivanja u prvome, drugome i trećemu naraštaju govornika.This paper discusses the position of the other language in a multicultural liberal egalitarian environment. At the centre of attention are problems of so called `escape to ghetto\u27, on one side, and assimilation on the other side. Both are closely connected with liberal postulate uttered in a phrase: `freedom of choice\u27; which, I argue, is very much dependent on discursive frame in given synchronic situation. Croatian language was officially recognized as a community language in Australia in 1979, based on the multicultural politics of the government of the day. Since 1980 it is taught as a part of the high school degree, and since 1983 it is also present at tertiary level as one of the languages other than English (LOTE). This paper discusses the present state of Croatian language in Australia, provides a brief history of its presence on that continent, language shift from Croatian to English and a specific koine that has been developed among first and second generation of speakers, regardless of their čakavian, kajkavian or štokavian background. It also provides an overview on how and where Croatian is taught, the number of speakers of Croatian, major processes that take place in language shift and the processes of cross-borrowing in first, second and third generation users. The central part of the paper discusses questions of bilingualism and language shift in the second generation. It also describes and tries to explain processes in the language that are surrounded with the other language, the `host language\u27. In this particular scenario English influences the community language (Croatian) on three levels: on the level of lexical adaptation, syntax and usage of both languages in the form of a very specific language mix (cross-borrowing). In this environment a number of very original and specific processes that are not characteristic to the language in its natural environment are taking place. Due to limited space, only some examples of adaptation from the `other\u27 language will be provided. Also, a process of naturalizing some phrases, words and constructions is only touched. In the final part, the paper provides some examples and comments on a few `community translations\u27, mostly from `ethnic newspapers\u27 which are often very much influenced by the above processes of adaptation and naturalization