Diversifying Family Language Policy

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Description

An increasingly important field of research within multilingualism and sociolinguistics, Family Language Policy (FLP) investigates the explicit and overt planning of language use within the home and among family members. However the diverse range of different family units and contexts around the globe necessitates a similarly diverse range of research perspectives which are not yet represented within the field. Tackling this problem head on, this volume expands the scope of families in FLP research. Bringing together contributors and case studies from every continent, this essential reference broadens lines of inquiry by investigating language practices and ideologies in previously under-researched families. Seeking to better reflect contemporary influences on FLP processes, chapters use innovative methodologies, including digital ethnographies and autoethnography, to explore diverse family configurations (adoptive, LGBTQ+, and single parent), modalities (digital communication and signed languages), and speakers and contexts (adult learners, Indigenous contexts, and new speakers). Bringing to light the dynamic, fluid nature of family and kinship as well as the important role that multilingualism plays in family members negotiation of power, agency, and identity construction, Diversifying Family Language Policy is a state-of-the-art reference to contemporary theoretical, methodological and ethical advances in the field of family language policy.

Reviews

The authors in this volume should be congratulated for highlighting the research on family language policy in the modern era. * LINGUIST List *
This volume is a welcome divergence from the Western, nuclear focus of most FLP research. The theoretical, methodological, and analytical insights help us understand more about the role of language in what it means to be a family in the twenty-first century. * Cassie Smith-Christmas, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Fellow, NUI Galway, Ireland *
In this important, engaging volume, Wright and Higgins expand the boundaries of family language policy (FLP) research. Their beautifully edited, expertly curated collection brings together original research which diversifies the types of families studied to date, expands the methods of FLP inquiry, and significantly broadens the languages and communities studied. * Kendall A. King, Professor, University of Minnesota, USA *
This edited volume contributes significantly to the thriving field of Family Language Policy (FLP) research. It enhances our understanding of the current FLP knowledge by expanding both the range of family types and the variety of family language repertoires. Drawing on a wealth of qualitative empirical studies from different geographic settings, the edited volume places FLP practices within the social dynamics of family life, also in hitherto underrepresented family types such as adoptive families, divorced and single parent families, LGBTQ families, and multi-sited transnational families. The book sheds new light on multilingualism which, situated in the complex web of social and political recognition, is reinterpreted through the lens of Family Language Policy in diversified communities. * Xiao-Lan Curdt-Christiansen, Professor of Applied Linguistics in Education, University of Bath, UK *

Author Bio

Lyn Wright is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Memphis, USA. Christina Higgins is Professor of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, USA.