Welsh Language Socialization in the Family

Kathryn Jones & Delyth Morris

Bangor University & Cwmni Iaith

Enseignement des language minoritaires / Minority Language Education Workshop Conference, Corsica July 2006

Project Aims

Long term investigation of minority language socialisation within the family

Identify why some Welsh-speaking parents raise their children to speak Welsh while others do not

Project Aims

Informing WAG policy of promoting ‘family language transfer’ as a key component to maintaining Welsh as a family and community language

Method

3 areas 12 families Interviews Diaries Photographs

Theoretical framing

Ethnographic approach to language shift (Gal 1979)

Language socialization research (Schieffelin & Ochs 1986)

Communities of practice (Wenger 1998)

Emerging language and education issues

Parents’ educational choices Early educational

institutionalization Local educational policy Older siblings’ education

Parents’ educational choices

deciding very early

based on parents’ values and education experience

mother is the main language – decision maker

Early Educational Institutionalization

Parent and Toddler / nursery groups

Sachau Stori Healthy Living Centre Formal childcare

Parent & toddler groups

Parent & toddler groups

Parent & toddler groups

Early Educational Institutionalization

Parent and Toddler / nursery groups

Sachau Stori Healthy Living Centre Formal childcare

Healthy Living Centre

Early Educational Institutionalization

Parent and Toddler / nursery groups

Sachau Stori Healthy Living Centre Formal childcare

Formal Childcare

Local educational policy

National Curriculum for Wales

Local educational authority determines policy

School governors interpretation

Gwynedd–Bilingual policy throughout

DenbighshireA - Designated Welsh MediumB - Natural BilingualC - Welsh as a Second LanguageD - English medium

Older siblings’ education

Older siblings’ schooling shapes the young child’s language socialization in the home–Language resources of older

sibling–Home work, reading books,

computers

Language resources of older sibling

Language resources of older sibling

Language resources of older cousins

Language resources of older cousins

Homework

Homework

Reading books

Reading books

Reading books

Computers

Computers

Computers

Language and education issues emerging

Parents’ values and experiences Early social identities and

institutionalization of learning Education ideologies and

provision ‘Secondary socialization’ of older

siblings shapes the ‘primary socialization’ of younger siblings

Welsh Language Socialization in the Family

Kathryn Jones & Delyth Morris

Bangor University & Cwmni Iaith

Enseignement des language minoritaires / Minority Language Education Workshop Conference, Corsica July 2006