Living in harmony: The negotiation of intergenerational family language policy in Singapore

Parents are often considered the pivotal stakeholders in Family Language Policy (FLP). However, grandparents are increasingly acting as surrogate parents among multi-generational families around the globe including in dual-career families in Singapore. Analysing family interactions and interviews, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language & communication 2022-01, Vol.82, p.8-27
Main Authors: Wenhan, Xie, Bee Chin, Ng, Cavallaro, Francesco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bilingualism
Dual career couples
Families & family life
Family language policy
Grandparents
Ideology
Intergenerational families
Language choice
Language ideologies
Language policy
Languages
Multilingualism
Negotiation
Negotiations
Parents
Parents & parenting
Sociolinguistics
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Summary:Parents are often considered the pivotal stakeholders in Family Language Policy (FLP). However, grandparents are increasingly acting as surrogate parents among multi-generational families around the globe including in dual-career families in Singapore. Analysing family interactions and interviews, this study examines how grandparent's language ideologies contribute to shaping the language ideology, management, and practices of the family, even to the extent of overwriting and becoming the dominant voice in the family's FLP. Our findings show that the grandparents seem to be driving the shift towards English. In addition, the negotiation of FLP within the Singaporean context provides insight into how ideologies and the choice of languages can be deeply intertwined with harmony within the family unit and respect for one's elders. •Parent-grandparent caregiver negotiation of Family Langauge Policy (FLP) is prevalent in dual-career families.•Grandparent's language ideologies influence the trajectory of language management and practices of the family.•Some grandparents are driving the shift towards English instead of maintaining heritage languages.•In Singapore, FLP in intergenerational homes is intertwined with values of harmony and respect for elders.
ISSN:0271-5309
1873-3395
DOI:10.1016/j.langcom.2021.11.004