Transmitting Minority Languages: Complementary Reversing Language Shift Strategies

Description

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. 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