Language Shift and Changes in Community Structure: A Case Study of Oulu, Wisconsin

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Immigrant communities are particularly prone to language shift, a process where people stop speaking one language in favour of another, because speakers of minority languages often adopt the majority language over time. This article investigates language shift in the context of economic change at the turn of the 20th century in the Finnish-American community of Oulu, Wisconsin, and situates its history within the broader context of Finnish emigration. Through an analysis of quantitative data from the 1910 and 1920 Census in conjunction with qualitative evidence from local histories, this article shows how this community maintained their language through bilingual practices that helped to shape their identity as they experienced societal shifts that contributed to the gradual increase in English usage by the 1950s.