English and the Ghanaian diaspora in Northern Italy

This chapter explores the interrelation between language attitudes and language maintenance in an immigrant context, and the role played by English in both inter-ethnic and in-group communication. After providing a brief account of the major migration patterns from Ghana to the EU, I will turn to Ghanaian immigrants in Italy. Drawing on the data retrieved from a previous study conducted in the province of Bergamo (cf. Guerini 2006 and 2008b), I will show how the functional allocation of the languages in the community verbal repertoire and the perceived practical and social value of each variety influence ideologies and language use patterns. The positive orientation to English, which tends to be perceived as a Ghanaian language in its own right, will be indicated as a peculiarity of the Ghanaian diaspora and one of the major obstacles to the retention of other Ghanaian languages by immigrants of the future generations.