FAMILY LANGUAGE POLICIES OF NON-NATIVE BILINGUAL PARENTS RAISING BILINGUAL CHILDREN IN MONOLINGUAL CONTEXTS

Abstract

Non-Native Bilingual Parenting (NNBP) is an emergent type of bilingual family setting where parents decide to raise their children bilingually in their second language, despite living in monolingual communities where their native language is spoken. However, research into family bilingualism has not yet given it much attention aside from a few published case studies. The present survey study aimed to shed light on the complex landscape of NNBP by exploring the Family Language Policy (FLP) of NNB families and the key factors that shape their attitudes and linguistic practices; specifically the parents’ competence in the target language. Data were collected in April 2021 by means of a parental self-report questionnaire and processed using IBM SPSS statistics software. The final sample included 62 families. Descriptive statistics revealed that One Parent One Language (OPOL) was the most common interaction strategy and that most parents used majority language with each other. Besides, the most frequent language socialization practices for this group were identified as well as their common ideologies. Most notably, low reported rates of code-mixing, a very strong impact belief and moderate concern about their non-native model. Nonparametric tests found that the parents’ level of competence in the target language affected some of their attitudes and practices. These insights invite further exploration of the field of family bilingualism.

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