Current Language Maintenance Research in Jordan

Abstract

This paper investigates the methodology utilized in Jordanian language maintenance and shift research on six minorities including Chechens, Armenians, Gypsies, Druze, Circassian, and Kurds. It argues that the methodology has been based on the macro-level analysis that examined the role of a number of sociodemographic factors in the LMLS process. However, this analysis does not offer a complex picture of immigrants’ language use and attitudes. It is suggested in this paper that the micro level analysis should also be employed to illuminate the way language is negotiated and used.