Lived language and mobility: a case of young Iranians in Italy

Iran’s ethnolinguistic diversity, juxtaposed with monolingual state polices, has produced complex beliefs and attitudes about language among Iranians. This study investigated how young Iranians living in Italy perceive Iran’s language policies and the situation of non-dominant languages. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the study traced how participants’ beliefs, originally shaped by assimilative agendas at home, were reworked through transnational, lived experience. The data revealed a nuanced spectrum of positions, ranging from monolingual, unity – and identity-centred rationales to more multilingual, inclusive stances. The findings highlighted the influence of mobility on participants’ perspectives, demonstrating that exposure to diverse language regimes can broaden understanding of language issues. The findings also suggested that host-country linguistic ecology can help (re)shape language beliefs and attitudes, and that diasporic perspectives may offer an external lens on homeland language issues that is often obscured within the domestic context. By focusing on the under-studied case of young Iranians in Italy, the study contributes empirical evidence on how (transnational) lived experience of language influences evaluations of language diversity and policy.