“I was Basically Deaf-Mute. I felt like a Stranger”: Exploring the Role of Language in Older Migrants’ Sense of Home

Abstract

This article explores the role of language in older migrants’ sense of home. The share of older adults with a migration background in Belgium is growing. However, to date, not much is known about older migrants’ sense of home. Looking at language in particular, research suggests that it is linked to identity, possibly affecting one’s sense of home. Therefore, investigating the role of language in older migrants’ sense of home offers a valuable perspective. To explore older migrants’ sense of home, 19 interviews were conducted. During these interviews, the topic of language came up spontaneously. The results show that language among older migrants can concern both a mobility uplift (e.g., creating social and economic opportunities) and a mobility barrier (e.g., obstructing social relations). Concerning the latter, participants discussed resourceful ways to overcome this barrier (e.g., self-made dictionary). Moreover, the interviews revealed the importance of participants’ native language, which also strongly links to identity. This study highlights the transformative influence of super-diversity on the linguistic field. Finally, the results show that the interrelatedness of language, identity, social relations and other characteristics impacts the construction of a sense of home among older adults with a migration background.