„Sie sprechen aber gut Deutsch“ Zugeschriebene Sprachidentitäten im Migrationskontext mit Bezug auf Deutschland und den Westbalkan

This article investigates attributed language identities in migration contexts, focusing on Germany and the Western Balkans. Based on empirical data from online surveys and biographical interviews conducted between 2020 and 2021, it examines how majority societies assign language identities to migrants and their descendants, often disregarding actual language competence. Using Purschke’s Salience–Pertinence model, the study analyzes how comments such as “You speak good German!” reflect benevolent discrimination and social hierarchies. Comparative findings reveal similar evaluative patterns in the perception of returnees’ language use in Kosovo. Both in Germany and in the Western Balkans, schools and universities emerge as particularly sensitive “commentary sites”. The results demonstrate that positive remarks and corrections, while intended as appreciation, frequently produce exclusionary effects when directed at individuals who consider the majority language their own, highlighting the sociolinguistic entanglement of language, migration, and belonging.

Keywords: language identity, migration, salience–pertinence, benevolent discrimination, Western Balkans