The linguistic Odyssey of Russian-speaking immigrants in Canada.

This article examines the long-term language dynamics of Russian-speaking immigrants in Canada, focusing on their shifting attitudes toward learning the host country's official languages (English and French) and maintaining their home language, Russian. Based on a mixed-methods study of 100 first-generation Russian-speaking immigrants across seven Canadian provinces, findings reveal that while English proficiency and its perceived importance increase initially, the priority placed on learning English decreases over time as proficiency improves. Conversely, the importance of maintaining Russian grows with length of residence, particularly for cultural identity and intergenerational transmission, whereas attitudes toward learning French remain largely unchanged and generally low. These results support the authors' "Linguistic Equilibrium" hypothesis, which posits a dynamic, non-linear balance between host and home language use shaped by immigrants' evolving personal, social, and cultural needs. The study highlights implications for long-term linguistic support of immigrant communities and calls for further research including diverse immigrant groups and more in-depth qualitative methods.