A Bridge to Portugal: Language and Identity in Bridgeport, CT

Résumé En

Here I present the results of BridgePORT, an ethnographic study Icarried out in 2018 within the Portuguese community of Bridgeport, CT (USA).I describe language use and representation among Portuguese speakers withinthe community, and I investigate the integration of these speakers into thedominant American English speech community. Through my fieldwork, Iobserve mixing practices in day-to-day interaction, while I also consider theevolution of the Portuguese language in light of language contact and speakers’discourse as this relates to ideologies about the status of Portuguese within thecommunity. My findings rely on questionnaires, participant observation of verbalinteraction, and semi-structured interviews. My aim is to show how verbalpractice shapes the process of identity construction and how ideas of linguistic“purity” mediate the maintenance of a link to Portugal and Portuguese identity.