Abstract
The paper presents a sample of a PhD research carried out by the author and examines brokering context, emotions, national identity and perception of acculturation among Polish teenagers living in the UK. The whole study comprises of 55 language mediators (aged 8–18), while the sample group consists of five teenagers (12–13 years old). Data was collected in the years 2015–2016 by means of semi-structured interviews carried out in the United Kingdom. All the interviewees report language brokering, irrespective of their age, length of stay, family background and personality traits (i.e., openness, shyness). Although the context in which language mediations take place varies to some extent, all the respondents reported to have attempted brokering in the school setting. The findings make possible an understanding of identity formation in Polish teenage brokers in the process of acculturation, social adaptation and family relations. Furthermore, the analysis reveals difficulties that language mediators experience when translating in sophisticated language settings such as medical or legal for migrant agents, school assistants and social workers working with immigrant families. The affective consequences of language brokering are presented and conclusions drawn for a further discussion of parents, educators and policymakers.
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Żytowicz, A. (2017). Language Brokering, Prevalence and Emotions: Evidence from Five Multilingual Polish Teenagers Living in the UK. In: Gabryś-Barker, D., Gałajda, D., Wojtaszek, A., Zakrajewski, P. (eds) Multiculturalism, Multilingualism and the Self. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56892-8_12
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