“For my daughter is not the same, for sure” : learners’ and parents’ attitudes towards home language maintenance and development

Abstract

Heritage languages (HL) require special pedagogical resources, and from a sociolinguistic perspective, their status may vary, influencing learners’ and educators’ attitudes. In the case of Portuguese as an HL (PHL) in the German educational context, due to a limited institutionalised offer, non-formal settings prevail as a means of language development. In this ethnographic case study, we present the attitudes of parents and PHL learners in a socio-educational project that promotes bilingual education in Munich, Germany. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with parents, whereas with children, a focus group was set up using visual narratives. This study addressed two questions: How do parents’ and learners’ linguistic attitudes in this specific context differ? How do their beliefs concerning linguistic identity influence the home language maintenance? The results pointed to the convergent affective dimension of PHL. Concerning identity influence in home language maintenance, language attitudes result from different statuses assigned to PHL. While parents see PHL as a means of transmitting their ethnolinguistic identity, children's representations revealed different perceptions prevailing ‘home and family language’ status and a sense of fluid belonging, thus showing an emergent multilingual identity characterised by cultural hybridity.

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