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European Sociological Review Advance Access originally published online on July 19, 2008
European Sociological Review 2009 25(2):169-182; doi:10.1093/esr/jcn043
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Language Proficiency and Usage Among Immigrants in the Netherlands: Incentives or Opportunities?

Frank van Tubergen and Matthijs Kalmijn

Frank van Tubergen (to whom correspondence should be addressed), Department of Sociology/ICS, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Matthijs Kalmijn, Department of Sociology, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. Email: m.kalmijn{at}uvt.nl

Correspondence: Email: f.vantubergen{at}uu.nl

This article examines the determinants of immigrants’ language proficiency and language use, two dimensions of language which have so far remained rather separate in the literature. The underlying question is whether similar or different patterns underlie these two aspects of language. The data are from large-scale, repeated cross-sectional surveys specifically designed to study Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands. We focus on Dutch speaking skills and Dutch language use with the partner. The results show that although speaking ability and language use with the partner generally go hand-in-hand, the correlation is modest. Language proficiency and language use are equally affected by migration motive, settlement intentions and ethnic concentration in the neighbourhood. Dutch language use with the partner is strongly and directly affected by the Dutch language skills of the partner. Age at migration and education are more important for language proficiency than for language usage.

Manuscript received: July 1, 2007.


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