Modelling Bilinguals’ Language Shift Intentions: Towards the Development of the “Context-Dependent Theory of Language Shift”

The goal of this study was to create a theoretical framework (the ‘Context-Dependent Theory of Language Shift’) that explains how school-related linguistic practices and ideologies influence students’ language shift intentions in varying communicative domains. Data obtained from 560 high school students in Cape Coast, Ghana were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed theoretical framework. The results indicated that language attitudes, parental pressure, and English performance anxiety significantly influence students’ language shift intentions in formal communicative domains. Nonetheless, apart from attitude, these variables do not influence students’ language shift intentions in informal domains. Based on this statistical insight, our theoretical proposition is that the language shift behaviours of students in Ghana and Africa tend to be fluid and context-dependent. This presupposes that factors that may compel them to shift from their L1 to English in a given context may not compel them to shift in different contexts. © 2024 Unisa Press.