Do the Descendants of European Immigrants Still Speak their Ancestral Languages in Paraná (Brazil)?

This paper presents some research results on language attitudes of speakers from seven communities in Paraná, a state in the south of Brazil settled mainly by European immigrants and descendants. The study aims to identify the current situation of bilingualism in these communities and language attitudes toward immigration languages. Data were collected through interviews based on a questionnaire covering three components of attitude: cognitive, affective, and conative (Lambert & Lambert 1966). The results showed that the attitudes of respondents toward the languages or varieties (including their own) are mainly positive. However, there has been a generational shift to the Portuguese, resulting in residual bilingualism, even though the attitudes toward bi- and multilingualism are positive.