“Can you speak German?” a theoretical review of the importance of intrinsic motivation to learn a language among immigrant in Germany

Proceedings of The 3rd International Conference on New Trends in Social Sciences

Year: 2022

DOI:

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“Can you speak German?” a theoretical review of the importance of intrinsic motivation to learn a language among immigrant in Germany

Julia de Freitas Sampaio

ABSTRACT: 

Graham (1985) and Luckmani (1972) have developed the “theories of motivation” to explain incentives one to learn a foreign language. While those theories have been broadly used, they lack a more social approach and seem to neglect the impact of group behavior. Identity issues also seem to have been excluded from this theory. This article will explore the theoretical background of the impact xenophobia has on immigrants’ motivation to learn the local language. By suffering prejudice, certain minority groups (especially racialized groups) can develop mechanisms to protect their identities which might also lead to a decreased intrinsic motivation to learn the language, as their identity will be more strongly related to the “foreigner” identity.

keywords: laguage learning, immigration, integration, motivation, xenophobia.