Abstract：This study attempts to examine family language policy through investigating seven transnational families based in China. Only one parent is the native speaker of Chinese in these families. Research methods include ethnography, semi-structured interviews, home observations and conversations, recorded via WeChat and audio/video clips. The samples include 9 children aged 2-8. The research explores family language ideology, management and practices in their homes in China. The key findings include: 1) the parents believe that whereas Chinese language is important English as the global language is indispensable for child’s upward mobility in the future; 2) familial context is essential for Children’s bilingual and multilingual competence , especially for younger children; 3) family language policies are vital for children to develop bilingual and multilingual competence if parents communicate with them in their own mother tongues; 4) greater commitment is required from non-Chinese parent in order to foster child’s interest in his/her native tongue. Lack of willingness to do so is likely to result in monolingual children. The study also reveals parental anxiety about their children’s bilingual and multilingual development and documents the various proactive and reactive strategies they adopt to enhance their children’s language capital.
丁 鹏. 中国跨国婚姻家庭的语言规划研究[J]. 语言战略研究, 2019, 4(2): 42-50.
Ding Peng. Family Language Policy and Planning in Transnational Marriages in China. , 2019, 4(2): 42-50.
