Cristiana Lucchetti

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schweier and Prof. Dr. Malka Muchnik (Bar-Ilan University, Israel)

Project description:

The project focuses on the linguistic and cultural practices amidst Russian-speaking immigrant communities in Israel and Germany. The Russian-speaking aliyah has been playing a major role in Israeli society since its beginnings. By contrast, the first conspicuous immigration waves from the post-Soviet region started reaching Germany between the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. These substantial differences in the migration patterns of Israel and Germany serve as an analytical tool for the study of culture and language contact phenomena in Russian-speaking communities, with special regard to the so-called 1.5 generation youngsters. The project relies on qualitative and quantitative data collected during participant research in Israel and Germany. The investigation of migration-related cultural aspects is carried out by means of biographical interviews, whereas patterns of language contact are identified using sociolinguistic questionnaires and guided interviews. The aim of the research project is to shed light on the effects of migration phenomena on language use, language awareness and language learning and how these aspects interact with cultural practices. The project ultimately aims at contributing to a better understanding of post-Soviet immigration phenomena in Israel and Germany from a comparative perspective.