Linguistic discrimination and linguistic (in)security in return migration and reintegration process: Turkish as a heritage language

Linguistic practices are highly influential and important in the process of return migration and re-adaptation. This interdisciplinary study examines the relationship between migration, language practices, and sociocultural adaptation. This study aims to reveal the linguistic insecurity and linguistic discrimination experienced by Turkish-origin return migrants who were born and/or raised in Western European countries (Germany, Belgium, and France), as well as the individual and social factors that influence these experiences and their impact on the migrants' integration process. Indeed, the stigmatisation and discrimination faced by the second and subsequent generations due to Turkish as a heritage language not only complicates socio-cultural integration but may also cause linguistic insecurity. For this purpose, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 25 returnees over the past 15 years. In this study, which employed qualitative research methods, interview data and researcher observation notes were used as data sources. The findings illustrate that most returning migrants experienced linguistic insecurity and linguistic discrimination when using Turkish in their social interactions. This experience was influenced by individual factors such as personality traits and Turkish language proficiency, as well as structural factors such as gender roles, hierarchical relationship patterns, social representations of language, and experiences of symbolic violence. It can also be concluded that migrants' transnational identities and sense of belonging influence linguistic (in)security, and that the insecurity and discrimination they face when speaking Turkish complicate their socio-cultural integration.