Family language policy between the bilingual advantage and the monolingual mindset

• Published in: International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 622 - 635
• Main Authors: Piller, Ingrid, Gerber, Livia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 28.05.2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Advocacy; Beliefs; bilingual parenting; Bilingualism; Child Rearing; Computational Linguistics; Computer Mediated Communication; English (Second Language); English as a second language learning; English proficiency; Families & family life; Family Environment; family language policy; Family Relationship; Foreign Countries; gender; Language Planning; Language policy; Language Proficiency; Language Usage; Literature; Migrants; Monolingualism; multilingualism; Native Language; online parenting advice; Parent Attitudes; Parent Child Relationship; Parent-child relations; Parenting Styles; Parents; Parents & parenting; School Effectiveness; Second Language Learning; Australia
• ISSN: 1367-0050; 1747-7522
• DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2018.1503227

In contemporary Western societies, parenting has become the subject of a substantial body of advice and self-help literature. Within this literature, questions of bilingual parenting have begun to add yet another dimension to parental anxieties. Against this background, we examine how parents in a general Australian online parenting forum discuss the desires they have for their children's bilingualism and the challenges they experience to their bilingual parenting. We first demonstrate that individual bilingualism in the abstract is discussed in highly favourable terms and is widely conceptualised as a 'gift' from parents to children. However, posters' belief in the bilingual advantage does not easily translate into effective bilingual parenting practices. First, many posters are concerned that bilingualism in the early years might be jeopardising their child's English language proficiency and hence school success. Second, a very narrow definition of 'true' bilingualism is connected with a relatively dogmatic belief in the 'one parent, one language' parenting strategy. As a result, consecutive bilinguals, particularly migrant fathers, come to be perceived as both problematic bilinguals and problematic parents. We close with implications for family language policy and advocacy in the face of entrenched institutional English monolingualism.