Family language policy in refugee-background communities: Towards a model of language management and practices

Melanie Revis

doi:10.16993/jhlr.30

Abstract

As interest in the field of family language policy is burgeoning, an invitation has been issued to include more diverse families and language constellations. This article responds by presenting family language management data from Ethiopian and Colombian refugee families living in New Zealand. As part of the researcher’s ethnographic involvement in both communities, data was obtained through participant observations, interviews with parents and children, and recordings of naturally-occurring interactions between family members. Findings from both communities differ greatly: While many Ethiopian families used explicit management for their children to speak Amharic in the home, Colombian families tended to prefer laissez-faire policies as they did not direct their children’s language choice. Nevertheless, their children typically spoke Spanish, their heritage language. As a theoretical contribution, a model is developed to coherently present the caregivers' choice of language management and their children’s typical language practices. This model helps to uncover similarities and dissimilarities across families and communities. Since families typically moved through different management and practice constellations over time, the model also assists in identifying recurrent family language policy trajectories. The article concludes by drawing practical attention to the need and best timing for informing recent refugees about options and resources concerning intergenerational language transmission.

Highlights

The study of family language policy (FLP) is receiving burgeoning interest as globalisation is introducing superdiverse constellations of multilingual speakers and families
Managing home language use involves decision-making about the ways in which language contact situations are reflected and expressed in family communication
It is the task of family language policy research to uncover, describe and analyse the different factors involved in home language choices

Summary

Introduction

The study of family language policy (FLP) is receiving burgeoning interest as globalisation is introducing superdiverse constellations of multilingual speakers and families. FLP studies in these displaced communities are interesting, not least because, given the often large number of refugees from the same source country, they offer the potential to investigate the individual family in the context of their larger ethnic group While these families’ situations may be comparable to those of socio-economicallyadvantaged migrants in some aspects, with families often facing similar home language decisions, their situations tend to be more delicate and vulnerable in other aspects. Rather than leaving based on economic consideration or a desire for adventure, existential reasons such as war and persecution are by definition the cause of their forced migration (see UNHCR, 1967) Though this may be individually different, they embark on life in a new country with less access to resources and other socio-economic means, no immediate access to employment and often a lack of proficiency in the language used in their country of settlement.

Literature Review

Background

Methodology

Conclusion