Author: Sabrina Rahman
Rahman, Sabrina, 2019 The influence of Australian English (AusE) language use on life satisfaction and employment prospects of skilled Bangladeshi Migrants in Adelaide, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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Bangladeshi skilled migrants are gradually increasing in Adelaide, South Australia, and becoming valued contributors to the society.
These skilled migrants who have already proven that they are competent users of English, having passed an English proficiency test (IELTS) as one of the major requirements for Australian Immigration, face persistent difficulties to fit into the host society and find employment commensurate to their skills and qualifications.
The primary objective of this study is to examine the experiences, life aspirations and employment expectations of this migrant group and to gain an insight into the linguistic and cultural factors that may impact on their life satisfaction.
This study contends that unfamiliarity with the Australian English language variety (AusE) and local cultural conventions makes this group particularly vulnerable while interacting with Anglo-Australians.
A qualitative methodology was adopted to conduct a semi-structured interview with the migrants, based on broad themes related to Bangladeshi skilled migrants’ daily experiences and challenges in order to fit into the host society.
The study found that linguistic and cultural factors are to a large extent intertwined with migrants’ journey of settlement, particularly in building social relationships through daily conversations, and in obtaining suitable employment commensurate to their skills.
The findings highlight the importance of the pragmatic aspects of communication and the connection between language and life satisfaction, an aspect which, we believe, has not been sufficiently investigated by researchers on migration.
Keywords: Bangladeshi skilled migrants, life satisfaction, personal well-being, subjective well-being, Australian English, cultural convention, interactional competence,discursive practices, community involvement, language proficiency, International English Language Testing System (IELTS), migration of Bangladeshis to Australia, reasons of migration, employment and life satisfaction, communicative issues and employment
Subject: English as a Second Language thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2019
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Colette Mrowa-Hopkins