Family language policy in English as a foreign language: a case study from China to Canada

• Published in: Language policy Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 191 - 207
• Main Authors: Liu, Wei, Lin, Xiaobing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.05.2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Addition; Applied Linguistics; Autoethnography; Beliefs; Bilingual Education; Bilingual Schools; Bilingualism; Case Studies; Child Rearing; Chinese; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural Context; Decision Making; Elementary Education; Elementary Schools; Emotional Experience; English (Second Language); English as a second language; English language; Ethnography; Families & family life; Family (Sociological Unit); Family Environment; Family Relationship; Foreign Countries; High School Graduates; Ideology; Language Attitudes; Language Education; Language ideologies; Language Planning; Language policy; Language Usage; Languages; Learning Experience; Linguistics; Mandarin Chinese; Mathematics Education; Middle Schools; Narratives; Native Language; Original Paper; Outcomes of Education; Parent Attitudes; Parent Child Relationship; Parenting Styles; Parents & parenting; Policy making; Political Science; Second Language Learning; Social Sciences; Sociolinguistics; Canada; China; English as a foreign language; Bilingual parenting; China; Family language policy
• ISSN: 1568-4555; 1573-1863
• DOI: 10.1007/s10993-018-9475-5

English as a foreign language is taught almost exclusively as a school subject in most parts of the world. However, reported in this autoethnography is our practice in family language planning in English as a foreign language (non-native to either parent). The personal narratives of our bilingual parenting experience focus on our decision making process, the concerns we encountered, our bilingual parenting practices, and our reflections on this journey. Our lived experiences shared in this study serve to shed light on such issues in family language planning as the formation of parental language ideology, the process of family language policy making, and the emotionality of bilingual parenting practice.