The Family and Bilingual Socialization: A Socioling-Uistic Study of a Sample of Chinese Children in the United States

Abstract

Summary The relationships between the family and bilingual socialization of the child are explored in this sociolinguistic study of a sample of preschool Chinese children. In a bilingual setting, we are able to answer the question: How important is the family as a socializing agent in a situation when it is not supported and reinforced by the extrafamilial sources? In this study, it is found that, besides the general language orientation of the family, parental attitudes and behaviors regarding the two languages involved are significant variables related to the relative bilingual proficiency of the child. The findings support the general belief that the family is an important socializing agent for the language learning of the preschool child, although its influence seems to decrease with the increase of the age of the child.

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