Intensive parenting and elective bilingualism English/Spanish in Spanish monolingual families: From language ideologies to practice

Abstract

In our globalised economy, English proficiency is currently a priority for Spanish families, as it is fundamental for ensuring their children’s future economic and personal welfare. As a sign of good parenting, families are increasingly acting as linguistic entrepreneurs and adopting family language policies oriented to provide their children with the best methodologies to enhance English learning, thereby investing their personal and financial capital in extracurricular classes, local English camps, and stays abroad. In searching for more natural learning environments, those parents with knowledge of English emulate native bi/multilingual families and raise their children in English and Spanish. This type of non-native elective bilingualism upbringing is gaining momentum in Spain and deserves further scrutiny. Therefore, this paper is devoted to better understand this phenomenon by means of the study of 16 Spanish families who are raising their children in English and Spanish. Their family language policy (FLP) will be analysed in terms of language beliefs, language management and language practices. Results reflect parents’ desires and imagined identities with English as a metaphor of accomplishment, as well as their emotional implications, disruptions and negotiations to bring to fruition this complex socialization practice.