This book gives fresh insight into the diverse ways in which the transmission of minority and heritage languages is carried out in a range of sociolinguistic contexts. When traditional modes of intergenerational transmission begin to break down, minority language and diaspora communities resort to other modes of transmission, out of necessity, to complement traditional mechanisms and secure language maintenance. This volume brings together a broad range of studies of these alternative modes of transmission, examining the complex and diverse practical, ideological and personal challenges that arise in different settings. Beyond addressing the dynamics of language use within the home and family, the book also emphasises the importance of the participation of the minority community itself in language and cultural transmission. These mechanisms and initiatives, sometimes overlooked or dismissed in the academic literature, will prove to be essential in maintaining and ensuring the survival of minority and heritage languages into the 21st century and beyond. The twelve chapters in the book are divided into four sections (intergenerational transmission; transmission in post-traditional families; alternatives to ‘traditional’ transmission; and transmission in diasporic contexts), and the language contexts, both minoritised and diasporic, which are discussed include Basque, Breton, Galician, Guernesais, Irish, Māori, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Sorbian and Spanish. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociolinguistics, language acquisition, heritage language maintenance and revitalization, and language policy and planning.
Author(s): Michael Hornsby, Wilson McLeod
Series: Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 378
City: Cham
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction
References
Intergenerational Transmission
Conceptualising Successful Intergenerational Language Transmission in Terms of saibhreas: Family Language Support in the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht
Introduction
Research Context
Background: Tús Maith and Intergenerational Transmission in the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht
Competent Language Use
Local Language Use
Embodied Language Use
Conclusion
References
Family Language Policy in the Face of a Shrinking Community Language: Gaelic on the Isle of Lewis
Introduction
Background
The Study
Method
Informants
Findings
Parental Language Identity and Ideology
Adult (Re)Acquisition
Children’s Experience of Gaelic
Conclusion
References
Transmission in Post-traditional Families
The Transmission of Breton in the Family: The Effect of Family Rupture and Recomposition
Introduction
Sociolinguistic Situation of the Breton Language
Breton, a Minoritised Celtic Language
The Situation as of 2018
Research on the Family Transmission of Breton
Theoretical References
Methodology
The Population Surveyed
Some Characteristics of the Sample
Language Transmission Practices
Some Clues for Studying the Effect of Family Breakups and Recomposition
The Influence of Separation on Transmission
The Influence of Ex-spouses
The Influence of Child Custody Time
The Influence of Family Recomposition on Transmission
The Influence of the New Spouse
The Influence of Stepchildren
The Breton Language: A Bone of Contention in the Couple
Conflicts Over Language Transmission Strategies
Conflicts Concerning the Language(s) Used by the Couple
Conclusion
References
Wider Community Stance and Irish-Speaking Families in the Gaeltacht
Perceptions of Decline and Resilience in Home and Community Language Use
The Problematic Use of the Irish Census Data on Language
The Numbers of People Who Speak Irish as a Home Language in the Census
Identifying Irish-Speaking Families with Children in Múscraí
Perceptions from the Periphery of the Core Language Group
Conclusion
References
Alternatives to ‘Traditional’ Transmission
Native and Non-native Speakers’ School Language Practices and Transmission in Upper Lusatia
The Upper Sorbs: Sociolinguistic Context and Sorbian-German Relationships
The Upper Sorbian Schooling System and the Research Methodology
Intra-School Relations Between Sorbian- and German Speakers: Towards Immersion
Language Transmission Through Catholicism
Transmission Through the ‘Community of Practice’
Conclusion
References
Creating Language Shift: Factors Behind the Language Choices of Māori Speakers
Introduction
Context
The Data on Māori Speakers
All Māori Speakers Are Bilingual
Do Bilinguals Really ‘Choose’ a Language, and Are They Bilingual?
Language Choices
Language Choice in the Home
Doctoral Research Study
English Language Choices
Internal Factors
External Factors
Listener Factors
Māori Language Choices
Internal Factors
External Factors
Listener Factors
Conclusions
References
Peer-to-Peer Endangered Language Transmission Among Adults
Introduction and Literature Review
New Speakers and the Muda
Adult Learning of a Minority Language
Latent Speakers and Language Reactivation
Becoming a New Speaker of Guernesiais
The Research Context
Learners’ Experiences and Needs
Rememberers
Discussion
References
Basque Intergenerational Transmission from a Language Socialisation Perspective
Introduction
The Study of Intergenerational Transmission in the Basque Context
The Language Socialisation Paradigm
Agents and Spaces of Language Socialisation in the Basque Context
Parents: Much More Than Language Transmitters
The Basque-Medium School as an Ecosystem for Language Socialisation
Children as Socialisation Agents
The Community as an Agent of Socialisation
Conclusions
References
Transmission of Breton Among Immersion-School Students: The Impact of Home Language
Introduction
Breton-Medium Education
Fieldwork
Lise Diwan Students and Linguistic Background
Further Interviews on Linguistic Background
Case Studies: Participants
Findings
Breton Morphophonology
Fieldwork Elicitation
Use of Morphophonology
Discussion
References
Transmission in Diasporic Contexts
Comparing Family Language Policy in Cyprus, Estonia and Sweden: Efforts and Choices Among Russian-Speaking Families
Introduction
Research on FLP: An Overview of Recent Developments
The Nature of the HL
Methodological Background
Results
Determining the Reasons Behind the Ideologies Influencing Daily Practice
Real-Life Actions and the Role of Challenges
Conclusion
References
Effective Family Language Policies and Intergenerational Transmission of Minority Languages: Parental Language Governance in Indigenous and Diasporic Contexts
Introduction
Parents as Policymakers: Researching Family Language Policy from a Critical Perspective
Locating the Research Sites
Parental Agency in Developing Effective Family Language Policies
Contesting the Conventionalisation of Spanish Through Family’s Language Management
Extended Family Language Policies and Collective Language Governmentality
Conclusion
References
‘We Had to Make a Choice’: The Contentious Debate Over Language Replacement in Transnational Adoptive Families
Introduction
Harmonious Bilingual Development and Language Shift in Transnational Adoption
Presentation of the Case Study: Method and Data
Analysis
First Steps of Family Communication and Multilingual Practices
Social Practices Outside the Family: The Increasing Status of Italian
Child’s In-Group Identification and Distancing from Spanish
Language Shift in Action: The Difficulty of Holding Two Cultures Together
Discussion and Conclusions
References
Conclusion
Framing and Conceptualising Transmission
The Role of Language Ideology
References
Index
