A social psychological approach to preserving heritage languages: The survival of Gaelic in Nova Scotia

Language has been seen as a central pillar to ethnic identity. When languages are at risk, therefore, the relationship between language and ethnic identity can become particularly salient (Edwards, 1991). Heritage languages, in particular, often face what has been called a language shift, where the heritage language is replaced by the dominant language. When the heritage language is threatened, what happens to the heritage identity? In an attempt to answer this question, this study investigated the relationship between language and ethnic identity among 75 Gaelic learners living in eastern Nova Scotia. In order to identify the specific processes of heritage language use, the Gaelic learners were compared to non-learners of Gaelic and French learners living in the same milieu. Path analyses indicated that, among Gaelic learners, there is an initial separation of language and ethnic identity, but that, over time, ethnic identity is a direct outcome of language use. This finding was unique to the heritage language learners. Further, desired language vitality was a direct precursor to contact, language confidence, Gaelic and Anglophone identity and willingness to communicate among Gaelic learners. Actual language vitality played no role in the language use process among Gaelic learners, suggesting that vitality perceptions that are egocentric are better predictors of language use than those that are exocentric. The implications of these findings are discussed not only in relation to the future of Gaelic in Nova Scotia, but also to the survival of heritage languages in general