Bulgarian immigrants to Canada: Sociocultural and linguistic identity

Abstract

Integration is an intricate and extended process that
involves a number of sociolinguistic, cultural, political and economic variables which derive from the society of origin, the social context, the languages that are in contact and the linguistic conflict between them and various aspects of the host community. The study of different aspects of immigrant identity has been the focus of research for several decades now, especially in recent years when we are witnessing more migration on a global scale than heretofore. Scholars have adopted various perspectives on immigration depending on the aims of their research: economic, social, cultural, ethnic, linguistic,
integrational, among others. The present study is a contribution to this major debate. It is a sociolinguistic and sociocultural analysis of first-generation Bulgarian immigrants to Canada and aims to add to the scarce research on this particular topic within the broader theme by providing a multi-aspect view of the reasons for emigrating, based on the Canadian immigrant policy and the image created of Canada in Bulgaria, the cultural identity of Bulgarians in Canada, their social integration and sociocultural experience, the specifics of the language they use.