Emotions and Family Language Policy: Some Case Studies of Immigrant Families from Europe

• Authors: Shahzaman Haque

Abstracts

EN

This paper examines the family language policies in five case studies of immigrant families in Europe, focusing on the following emotions: Pride, Joy, Sadness and Fear. Families who immigrated from India and Laos to France, Sweden, Norway and Finland expressed their first and foremost emotions over the maintenance of their heritage languages in terms of language ideologies. The principal purpose of this paper is to explore critically the role of emotions of parents and of children regarding the maintenance or loss of the heritage language and the dominant position that the host language occupies in the framework of the family language policy. With an ethnographic approach, the principal tools were interviews, recording of conversations, participant observations and field notes, which yielded significant information on language attitudes, ideologies and practices toward the host-language and heritage language. Findings show that emotions of anxiety toward enfeeblement of the heritage language were common among parents, albeit not explicitly manifested in some families. Fear of losing the heritage language amounts to fear of losing linguistic and cultural identity over which some parents were frustrated, angry and helpless. Pride and joy were other affective displays, notably related to one’s command of the host languages or powerful languages like English.

Keywords

EN

family language policy; Indian diaspora in Europe; socialisation of emotion; Hmong family in France; case studies from France; Sweden; Norway and Finland; Urdu speakers in Europe; emotions in family language policy

• Publisher: Komisja Nauk Filologicznych Oddziału Polskiej Akademii Nauk we Wrocławiu
• Journal: Academic Journal of Modern Philology
• Year: 2023
• Issue: 20
• Pages: 353-372

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Shahzaman Haque

• PLIDAM, INALCO, Paris

• https://orcid.org/000000029351569X

References

• Ahmed, Sara (2004) The cultural politics of emotion. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Argaman, Osnat (2010) "Linguistic markers and emotional intensity." [In:] Journal of Psycholinguistic Research. Vol. 39 (2); 89-99.
• Barkhuizen, Gary (2006) "Immigrant parents’ perceptions of their children’s language practices: Afrikaans speakers living in New Zealand." [In:] Language Awareness. Vol. 15 (2); 63-79.
• Benesch, Sarah (2012) Considering emotions in critical English language teaching: Theories and praxis. New York: Routledge.
• Benesch, Sarah (2017) Emotions and English Language Teaching: Exploring Teachers’ Emotion Labor. New York: Routledge.
• Bernstein, Basil., Dorothy Henderson (1969). "Social class differences in the relevance of language to socialization." [In:] Sociology. Vol. 3; 1-20.
• Blommaert, Jan (2017) "Durkheim and the Internet: On sociolinguistics and the sociological imagination." [In:] Tilburg Papers in Culture Studies. Paper 173.
• Bull, Nina (1951) The attitude theory of emotion. New York: Nervous and mental disease monographs [Coolidge Foundation].
• Busch, Brigitta (2017) "Expanding the notion of the linguistic repertoire: On the concept of spracherleben – The lived experience of language." [In:] Applied Linguistics. Vol. 38 (3); 340-358.
• Busch, Brigitta (2012) "The linguistic repertoire revisited." [In:] Applied Linguistics. Vol. 33 (5); 503-523.
• Caldas, Stephen J. (2012) "Language policy in the family." [In:] Bernard Spolsky (ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 351-373.
• Cooley, Charles H. (1902) Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Scribner’s.
• Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan., Jing Huang (2020) "Factors influencing family language policy." [In:] Andrea C. Shalley, Susana A. Eisenchlas (eds.) Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton; 174-193.
• Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan (2016) "Conflicting language ideologies and contradictory language practices in Singaporean multilingual families." [In:] Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Vol. 37 (7); 694-709.
• Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan (2013) "Implicit learning and imperceptible influence: Syncretic literacy of multilingual Chinese children." [In:] Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. Vol. 13 (3); 348-370.
• Darwin, Charles ([1872]1965) The expression of the emotions in man and animals. London: John Murray.
• De Houwer, Annick (2015) "Harmonious bilingual development: Young families’ well-being in language contact situations." [In:] International Journal of Bilingualism. Vol. 19 (2); 169–184.
• De Houwer, Annick (1999) "Environmental factors in early bilingual development: the role of parental beliefs and attitudes." [In:] Guus Extra, Ludo Verhoeven (eds.) Bilingualism and Migration. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton; 75-96.
• Erickson, Rebecca. J., Marci D. Cottingham (2014) "Families and emotions." [In:] Jan E. Stets, Jonathan H. Turner (eds.) Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions, Volume II. Amsterdam: Springer; 359-384.
• Fishman, Joshua A. (1972) "Domains and the relationship between Micro- and Macrosociolinguistics." [In:] John J. Gumperz, Dell Hymes (eds.) Directions in Sociolinguistics. The Ethnography of Communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston; 435-453.
• Fishman, Joshua A. (1965) "Who Speaks What Language to Whom and When?" [In:] La Linguistique. Vol. 1 (2); 67-88.
• Ganuza, Natalia., Christina Hedman. (2019) "The Impact of Mother Tongue Instruction on the Development of Biliteracy: Evidence from Somali–Swedish Bilinguals." [In:] Applied Linguistics. Vol. 40 (1), 108–131.
• Gkonou, Christina., Elisabeth R. Miller (2021) "An exploration of language teacher reflection, emotion labor, and emotional capital." [In:] TESOL Quarterly. Vol. 55 (1); 134-155.
• Gomes, Rafael Lomeu (2022) "Du er verdens beste pappa: affect in parent-child multilingual interactions." [In:] International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Vol. 25 (10); 3758-3772.
• Guardado, José Martin. (2008) "Language socialisation in Canadian Hispanic communities: Ideologies and practices." Unpublished PhD Thesis. The University of British Columbia.
• Haque, Shahzaman. (2020) "Language use and Islamic practices in multilingual Europe." [In:] Signs and Society. Vol. 8 (3); 401-425.
• Haque, Shahzaman. (2019) "On ne lâche pas notre langue: étude monographique sur la politique linguistique d’une famille hmong réfugiée du Laos en France." [In:] Shahzaman Haque (ed.). Politique linguistique familiale / Family language policy. Munich: Lincom; 37-51.
• Haque, Shahzaman (2012) Étude de cas sociolinguistique et ethnographique de quatre familles indiennes immigrantes en Europe: pratiques langagières et politiques linguistiques nationales et familiales. Thèse de doctorat. Université Stendhal, Grenoble III, Grenoble.
• Haque, Shahzaman (2011b) "Truncated multilingual repertoire in Indian migrant families in three cities of Europe." [In:] Journal of Estonian and Finno-Ugric Languages. Vol. 2 (2); 29-47.
• Haque, Shahzaman (2011a) "Migrant family language practices and language policies in Finland." [In:] Apples-Journal of Applied Language Studies. Vol. 5 (1); 49-64.
• Hargreaves, Andy (2000) "Mixed emotions: Teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with students." [In:] Teaching and Teacher Education. Vol. 16 (8); 811-826.
• Hammersley, Martyn, Paul Atkinson (1983) Ethnography: Principles in practice. London: Tavistock.
• Heller, Monica, Alexandre Duchêne (2012) Pride and Profit: Changing Discourses of Language, Capital and Nation-State. [In:] Alexandre Duchêne, Monica Heller (eds.) Language in Late Capitalism: Pride and Profit. New York: Routledge; 1-21.
• Hymes, Dell. (1972) "Models of the Interaction of Language and Social Life." [In:] John J. Gumperz, Dell Hymes (eds.), Directions in Sociolinguistics: The Ethnography of Communication. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, INC; 35-71.
• Ivanova, Olga. (2019) "«My child is a perfect bilingual»: Cognition, emotions, and affectivity in heritage language transmission." [In:] Languages. Vol. 4 (44), https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/4/2/44 (consulté le 05/05/2023).
• Kemper, Theodore D. (1978) A social interactional theory of emotions. New York: Wiley.
• King, Kendall A., Lyn Fogle W. (2016) "Family Language Policy." [In:] Teresa McCarty, Stephen May (eds.) Language Policy and Political Issues in Education. Encyclopaedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham; 315-327.
• Kockelman, Paul (2015) "Four theories of things: Aristotle, Marx, Heidegger, and Peirce." [In:] Signs and Society. Vol. 3 (1); 153-192.
• Kopeliovich, Shulamit (2010) "Family language policy: A case study of a Russian-Hebrew bilingual family: Toward a theoretical framework." [In:] Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education. Vol. 4 (3); 162–178.
• Lazarus, Richard S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Lee, Gary Y. (1986). "Culture and adaptation: Hmong refugees in Australia." [In:] Glenn L. Hendricks, Bruce T. Downing, Amos S. Deinard (eds.) The Hmong in Transition. New York: Center for Migration Studies; 55-82.
• Lutz, Catherine (1982) "The domain of emotion words on Ifaluk." [In:] American Ethnologist. Vol. 9 (1); 113–128.
• Luykx, Aurolyn (2005) "Children as socializing agents: Family language policy in situations of language shift." [In:] James Cohen, Kara T. McAlister, Kellie Rolstad, Jeff MacSwan (eds.) Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism. Somerville: Cascadilla Press; 1407-1414.
• Luykx, Aurolyn (2003) "Weaving languages together: family language policy and gender socialisation in bilingual Aymara households." [In:] Robert Bayley, Sandra Schecter (eds.) Language Socialisation in Bilingual and Multilingual Societies. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters; 25-43.
• Matera, Vincenzo., Angela Biscaldi (2021) "Ethnography: A theoretically oriented practice. Introduction." [In:] Vincezo Matera, Angela Biscaldi (eds.) Ethnography: A theoretically oriented practice Introduction. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan; 1-18.
• MacIntyre, Peter, Gregersen Tammy (2012) "Affect: The role of language anxiety and other emotions in language learning." [In:] Sarah Mercer, Stephen Ryan, Marion Williams (eds.), Psychology for Language Learning. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan; 103-118.
• May, Stephen (2003) "Rearticulating the case for minority language rights." [In:] Current Issues in Language Planning. Vol. 4 (2); 95-125.
• Mead, George Herbert (1934) Mind, self, and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Mirvahedi, Seyed Hadi (2020) "Examining family language policy through realist social theory." [In:] Language in Society. Vol. 50 (3); 389-410.
• Montandon, Cléopâtre (1992) "La socialisation des émotions : un champ nouveau pour la sociologie de l’éducation." [In:] Revue Française de Pédagogie. Vol. 101; 105-122.
• Oberg, Kalervo (1960) "Cultural Shock: Adjustment to new cultural environments." [In:] Practical Anthropology. Vol. 7; 177-182.
• Okita, Toshie (2002) Invisible work: Bilingualism, language choice and childrearing in intermarried families. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
• Pavlenko, Aneta (2004) "«Stop doing that, Ia Komu Skazala !»: Language choice and emotions in parent-child communication." [In:] Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Vol. 25 (2-3); 179-203.
• Phillipson, Robert (1992) Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Phillipson, Robert (2009) Linguistic imperialism continued. New York: Routledge.
• Piller, Ingrid (2018) Bilingual children refusing to speak the home language, https://www.languageonthemove.com/bilingual-children-refusing-to-speak-the-home-language (consulté le 08/09/2022).
• Quérol, Julie (2011) "De mère en fille, l’intervention d’une identité maternelle interculturelle." [In:] Zohra Guerraoui, Odile Reveyrand-Coulon (eds.) Transmission Familiale et Interculturelle: Rupture, Aménagements, Création. Paris: In Press Eds; 163-174.
• Richards, Jack C (2020) "Exploring Emotions in Language Teaching." [In:] RELC Journal. Vol. 53 (1); 225-239.
• Ross, Andrew S., Elke Stracke (2016). "Learner perceptions and experiences of pride in second language education." [In:] Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. Vol. 39 (3); 272-291.
• Samata, Susan (2014) The cultural memory of language. London / New York: Bloomsbury.
• Scheff, Thomas J. (1988). "Shame and conformity: The deference-emotion system." [In:] American Sociological Review. Vol. 53 (3); 395-406.
• Scherer, Klaus R. (1993) "Studying the emotion-antecedent appraisal process: An expert system approach." [In:] Cognition & Emotion. Vol. 7 (3/4); 325–355.
• Schmitter, Amy M. (2021) "17th and 18th Century Theories of Emotions." [In:] Edward N. Zalta (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2021 Edition), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2021/entries/emotions-17th18th (consulté le 03/02/2023).
• Sevinç, Yesim, Seyed Hadi Mirvahedi (2022) "Emotions and multilingualism in family language policy: Introduction to the special issue." [In:] International Journal of Bilingualism, https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069221131762 (consulté le 09/07/2022).
• Sevinç, Yesim (2020) "Language anxiety as a negative emotion in home language maintenance and development." [In:] Andrea Schalley, Susana Eisenchlas (eds.) Handbook of Applied Linguistic Series: Social and Affective Factors in Home Language Maintenance and Development. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton; 84–108.
• Sheets-Johnstone, Maxine (2012) "Fundamental and inherently interrelated aspects of animation." [In:] Ad Foolen, Ulrike M. Lüdtke, Timothy P. Racine, Jordan Zlatev (eds.) Moving ourselves, moving others: Motion and emotion in intersubjectivity, consciousness and language. John Benjamins; 27-56.
• Smolicz, Jerzy J. (1992) "Minority languages as core values of ethnic cultures: A study of maintenance and erosion of Polish, Welsh, and Chinese languages in Australia." [In:] Willem Fase, Koen Jaspert, Sjaak Kroon (eds.) Maintenance and Loss of Minority Languages. John Benjamins; 277-306.
• Smolicz, Jerzy J. (1981) "Core values and cultural identity." [In:] Ethnic and Racial Studies. Vol. 4; 75-90.
• Solomon, Robert C. (1993) "The philosophy of emotions." [In:] Michael Lewis, Jeannette M. Haviland-Jones, Lisa Feldman Barrett (eds.) Handbook of Emotions. New York: The Guilford Press; 3-15.
• Spolsky, Bernard (2021) Rethinking language policy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Spolsky, Bernard (2019) "Family language policy – the significant domain." [In:] Shahzaman Haque (ed.) Politique linguistique familiale / Family language policy. Munich: Lincom GmbH; 23-35.
• Spolsky, Bernard (2009) Language management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Spolsky, Bernard (2004) Language policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Stets, Jan E., Jonathan Turner H. (2006) Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions. Boston: Springer.
• Tang, Fei, Raees Calafto (2022) "«You have to repeat Chinese to mother !»: Multilingual identity, emotions, and family language policy in transnational multilingual families." [In:] Applied Linguistics Review, https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0173 (consulté le 07/06/2023).
• Tannenbaum, Michal., Marina Berkovich (2015) "Family relations and language maintenance: Implications for language educational policies." [In:] Language Policy. Vol. 4 (3); 287-309.
• Tannenbaum, Michal (2012) "Family language policy as a form of coping or defence mechanism." [In:] Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Vol. 33 (1); 57-66.
• Tuominen, Anne (1999) "Who decides the home language? A look at multilingual families." [In:] International Journal of the Sociology of Language. Vol. 140 (1); 59-76.
• Turner, Jonathan H. (2014) "Emotions and societal stratification." [In:] Jan E. Stets, Jonathan H. Turner (eds.) Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions, Volume II. USA: Springer; 179-198.
• Van Kleef, Gerben A. (2016) The interpersonal dynamics of emotion: Toward an integrative theory of emotions as social information. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Wang, Y. (2022) "Speaking Chinese or no breakfast: Emotional challenges and experiences confronting Chinese immigrant families in heritage language maintenance." [In:] International Journal of Bilingualism. Vol. 27 (2). https://doi.org 10.1177/13670069221126043 (consulté le 05/04/2023).
• Warren, Howard C. (ed.) (1962) Dictionary of psychology, 1934/1962 (renewed). The Riverside Press.
• Wilson, Sonia (2020) “Family language policy through the eyes of bilingual children: the case of French heritage speakers in the UK.” [In:] Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Vol. 41 (2); 121-139.
• Wulf, Christoph (2017) “Anthropology today. A study on family wellbeing and transcultural insights – A German Japanese study.” [In:] Horizontes Antropológicos. Vol. 49; 21-59.
• Zembylas, Michalinos (2005) Teaching with emotion: A postmodern enactment. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
• Zlatev, Jordan (2012) “Prologue. Bodily motion, emotion and mind science.” [In:] Ad Foolen, Ulrike M. Lüdtke, Timothy P. Racine, Jordan Zlatev (eds.) Moving ourselves, moving others: Motion and emotion in intersubjectivity, consciousness and language. Amsterdam: John Benjamins; 1-26.

Identifiers

DOI

10.34616/ajmp.2023.20.31

Biblioteka Nauki

28411278