Göç Bağlamında İki Dilli Türk Çocuklarında Anadili Söz Varlığı Gelişimi: Almanya Örneği
The Development of Mother Tongue Vocabulary in Bilingual Turkish Children in The Context of Migration: The Case of Germany

Summary/Abstract: Migration is a multidimensional phenomenon that affects individuals’ social, cultural, and linguistic lives. In particular, the process of bilingualism may have significant effects on the mother tongue development of children who migrate at an early age. The aim of this study is to examine the factors affecting the mother tongue vocabulary development of bilingual Turkish children living in Germany. The study was conducted using a qualitative case study design. The study group consisted of 25 Turkish-origin students aged between 9 and 14 living in the city of Wesel, Germany. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed that family language use, language of schooling, social environment, media preferences, age of migration, and digital language input play important roles in the development of children's Turkish vocabulary. The dominance of German in school and social settings was found to contribute to vocabulary loss, code-switching, and limitations in the use of academic Turkish among some participants. In contrast, strong family support, regular reading habits in Turkish, and conscious use of the mother tongue emerged as factors supporting Turkish vocabulary development. Overall, the study demonstrates that bilingualism does not affect children's mother tongue development in a single direction; rather, it is shaped by a complex interaction of social, cultural, and environmental factors.

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