Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families

This Special Issue explores how language policies—both explicit and implicit—are negotiated and enacted within multilingual families. At its core is an inquiry into how families cope with complex linguistic environments, balancing the maintenance of heritage languages with the pressures and practica...

Volledige beschrijving

Bewaard in:
Bibliografische gegevens
Formaat: Online
Taal:Engels
Gepubliceerd in: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2026
Onderwerpen:
Online toegang:https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170664
Tags: Voeg label toe
Geen labels, Wees de eerste die dit record labelt!
_version_ 1869521592025874432
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description This Special Issue explores how language policies—both explicit and implicit—are negotiated and enacted within multilingual families. At its core is an inquiry into how families cope with complex linguistic environments, balancing the maintenance of heritage languages with the pressures and practicalities of integrating into dominant societal language contexts. The contributions illuminate the challenging decisions parents face: whether to preserve their home languages across generations or prioritize a more socially or economically advantageous language. Equally significant is the role of children as active agents in shaping language use at home. Rather than being passive recipients of parental language strategies, children often influence which languages are spoken, how consistently they are used, and in what contexts. This dynamic highlights the interactive and evolving nature of family language policy. Central to the discussions in this Special Issue are the emotional, cultural, and identity-related dimensions of language practices. Language is not only a means of communication but also a vessel of memory, belonging, and personal meaning. The studies presented offer a nuanced view of how family language choices are deeply intertwined with feelings of attachment, cultural continuity, and identity negotiation. By bringing together diverse perspectives and case studies from global contexts, this Special Issue provides a richer understanding of the lived realities of multilingual families and the complex dimensions of language policy in everyday life.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-170664
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
publisherStr MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1706642026-01-02T16:23:17Z Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families Zabrodskaja, Anastassia Ringblom, Natalia identity policy language culture sociological approach ethnography sustainable society majority minority heritage This Special Issue explores how language policies—both explicit and implicit—are negotiated and enacted within multilingual families. At its core is an inquiry into how families cope with complex linguistic environments, balancing the maintenance of heritage languages with the pressures and practicalities of integrating into dominant societal language contexts. The contributions illuminate the challenging decisions parents face: whether to preserve their home languages across generations or prioritize a more socially or economically advantageous language. Equally significant is the role of children as active agents in shaping language use at home. Rather than being passive recipients of parental language strategies, children often influence which languages are spoken, how consistently they are used, and in what contexts. This dynamic highlights the interactive and evolving nature of family language policy. Central to the discussions in this Special Issue are the emotional, cultural, and identity-related dimensions of language practices. Language is not only a means of communication but also a vessel of memory, belonging, and personal meaning. The studies presented offer a nuanced view of how family language choices are deeply intertwined with feelings of attachment, cultural continuity, and identity negotiation. By bringing together diverse perspectives and case studies from global contexts, this Special Issue provides a richer understanding of the lived realities of multilingual families and the complex dimensions of language policy in everyday life. 2026-01-02T16:23:12Z 2026-01-02T16:23:12Z 2025 book 978-3-7258-4931-4 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170664 eng application/octet-stream Attribution 4.0 International https://mdpi.com/books https://mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/11393 MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 10.3390/books978-3-7258-4932-1 10.3390/books978-3-7258-4932-1 46cabcaa-dd94-4bfe-87b4-55023c1b36d0 978-3-7258-4931-4 250 CH open access
spellingShingle identity
policy
language
culture
sociological approach
ethnography
sustainable society
majority
minority
heritage
Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families
title Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families
title_full Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families
title_fullStr Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families
title_full_unstemmed Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families
title_short Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families
title_sort language policy and practice in multilingual families
topic identity
policy
language
culture
sociological approach
ethnography
sustainable society
majority
minority
heritage
topic_facet identity
policy
language
culture
sociological approach
ethnography
sustainable society
majority
minority
heritage
url https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/170664