Raising children bilingually is hard: Why bother?

Title
Raising children bilingually is hard: Why bother?
Publication Date
2014
Author(s)
Sims, Margaret
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-4245
Email: msims7@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:msims7
Ellis, Elizabeth M
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7936-7651
Email: eellis4@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:eellis4
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Place of publication
Australia
UNE publication id
une:17303
Abstract
This paper presents results from a pilot project that sought to establish parental motivations for raising children bilingually in regional Australia in the absence of a co-located speech community. Cultural and linguistic diversity outside metropolitan areas is increasing as a result of Commonwealth Government incentive schemes, and one effect of this is that migrant families must find innovative ways to stem the shift to English that is virtually inevitable in the absence of a systematic and committed family language policy. Five families of varied language background were interviewed regarding their motivations for and challenges in raising their children bilingually. Four key themes emerged, comprising three goals and one major challenge. The three goals were: to create a sense of belonging to a family, a community and a culture; to create a competitive advantage for their children's future; and to improve their children's school learning. The major challenge was the difficulty of the task despite their commitment to the family language plan. Results from this pilot have informed the design of a larger study of regional family language maintenance.
Link
Citation
Babel, 49(2), p. 28-35
ISSN
0005-3503
Start page
28
End page
35

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