Engaging language and cultural spaces : Latin American parents' reflections on language loss and maintenance in Vancouver

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to explore the loss and maintenance of Spanish in Latin American children in Vancouver from the perspective of parents. It focuses on the experiences of children either developing bilingually (Spanish–English) or monolingually (English). The participating families were from Colombia, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and had children between the ages of three and seventeen. Drawing on semi-structured interview data, the article highlights the complexity of the issues affecting maintenance and loss of L1 and points to the multifaceted nature of the attendant consequences. The discussion mainly revolves around the issues of cultural identity, the role of family, intergenerational communication and the size of the L1 community.

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