What is it about?

Maintaining heritage languages for family and identity reasons is a common aspiration among minority families in various ethnic communities. However, in the context of dominant English-speaking landscapes, such as Australia, this desire often clashes with the reality that preserving a minority language is an uphill battle. This study aims to explore how Chinese families who moved to Australia try to keep their language alive for their kids, the outcomes they have experienced in the journey of language maintenance, and how these children perceive being Chinese and what factors contribute to their sense of identity.

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Why is it important?

This study combines parents' and children's views to understand family language policies's role in shaping ethnic identities. It highlights how the age when children migrate affects their Chinese language retention and sense of Chineseness, and it shows the complex link between language proficiency, participation in Chinese literacy, and the strength of children's ties to their Chinese heritage.

Perspectives

I hope this article will offer a more profound insight into the dilemmas that minority families face in preserving their heritage languages and the subtleties of children's identity expressions and then shed light on the complex interplay of factors that influence them.

Yining Wang
Macquarie University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Home-Related Strategies and Practices to Maintain Chinese Heritage Language and Their Implications for Identity Construction, August 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004709850_012.
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