‘Glued to the family’: the role of familism in heritage language development strategies

Abstract

This article, part of a larger ethnographic study, examines how a family's affective ties to the country of origin and to relatives still residing there supported their Spanish language development and maintenance efforts in Vancouver, Canada. Drawing on data from participant observation and interviews, the article analyses the parents' diverse heritage language development (HLD) strategies and ideologies and the children's affective connections to family members in Perú. The analysis draws attention to the positive implications of these factors for the success of the HLD activities in which the family members participated. The article concludes by highlighting the symbiotic nature of language socialisation strategies, familism, and affective factors for HLD in this home. Implications for pedagogy, theory, and research are presented.