TY - CONF

T1 - The Role of Psychological Reactance in Learning Minority Languages and its Implications for Language Policy – A Case of International Migrants Learning Welsh

AU - Hodges, Rhian

AU - Rosiak, Karolina

PY - 2024/11/7

Y1 - 2024/11/7

N2 - The Welsh Government’s current Welsh language strategy aims to create a million Welsh speakers by 2050 (Welsh Government 2017) and recognises the key role played by new speakers of Welsh in achieving this aim (Hodges 2021). Indeed, research on adult new speakers from different ethnic backgrounds is an increasingly important field of study that warrants further research (Higham 2020, Tilley, 2020, Rosiak 2023). This paper will discuss the findings of a pilot study into five non-UK economic immigrants’ motivations to learn Welsh, their learning experiences, and the opportunities afforded to them due to their Welsh language skills. In particular, by using biographical narrative interviews, we will focus on the role of psychological reactance in the process of learning Welsh and transitioning from being a learner to becoming a new speaker and being ‘accepted’ as a legitimate user of the language by Welsh-speaking communities. Psychological reactance is defined by Thompson & Vásquez (2015: 171) as “the urge to perform an action specifically because someone gave advice to the contrary” and, “the determination to succeed despite societal norms pushing in the opposite direction”. Our paper, then, will discuss (1) how participants in our study dealt with potentially demotivating reactions from L1/fluent Welsh speakers to them learning the language, and (2) what steps could be taken within Welsh language policy to help learners overcome psychological reactance.

AB - The Welsh Government’s current Welsh language strategy aims to create a million Welsh speakers by 2050 (Welsh Government 2017) and recognises the key role played by new speakers of Welsh in achieving this aim (Hodges 2021). Indeed, research on adult new speakers from different ethnic backgrounds is an increasingly important field of study that warrants further research (Higham 2020, Tilley, 2020, Rosiak 2023). This paper will discuss the findings of a pilot study into five non-UK economic immigrants’ motivations to learn Welsh, their learning experiences, and the opportunities afforded to them due to their Welsh language skills. In particular, by using biographical narrative interviews, we will focus on the role of psychological reactance in the process of learning Welsh and transitioning from being a learner to becoming a new speaker and being ‘accepted’ as a legitimate user of the language by Welsh-speaking communities. Psychological reactance is defined by Thompson & Vásquez (2015: 171) as “the urge to perform an action specifically because someone gave advice to the contrary” and, “the determination to succeed despite societal norms pushing in the opposite direction”. Our paper, then, will discuss (1) how participants in our study dealt with potentially demotivating reactions from L1/fluent Welsh speakers to them learning the language, and (2) what steps could be taken within Welsh language policy to help learners overcome psychological reactance.

KW - new Welsh speakers

KW - psychological reactance

KW - language policy

KW - motivation

KW - Welsh Language

M3 - Paper

ER -