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 n Long term investigation of minority language socialisation within the family n Identify why some Welsh-speaking parents raise their children to speak Welsh while others do not
Project Aims n Informing WAG policy of promoting ‘family language transfer’ as a key component to maintaining Welsh as a family and community language
Method n 3 areas n 12 families n Interviews n Diaries n Photographs
Theoretical framing n Ethnographic approach to language shift (Gal 1979) n Language socialization research (Schieffelin & Ochs 1986) n Communities of practice (Wenger 1998)
Emerging language and education issues n Parents’ educational choices n Early educational institutionalization n Local educational policy n Older siblings’ education
Parents’ educational choices n deciding very early n based on parents’ values and education experience n mother is the main language – decision maker
Early Educational Institutionalization n Parent and Toddler / nursery groups n Sachau Stori n Healthy Living Centre n Formal childcare
Parent & toddler groups
Early Educational Institutionalization n Parent and Toddler / nursery groups n Sachau Stori n Healthy Living Centre n Formal childcare
Healthy Living Centre
Early Educational Institutionalization n Parent and Toddler / nursery groups n Sachau Stori n Healthy Living Centre n Formal childcare
Formal Childcare
Local educational policy n National Curriculum for Wales n Local educational authority determines policy n School governors interpretation
n Gwynedd –Bilingual policy throughout n Denbighshire A - Designated Welsh Medium B - Natural Bilingual C - Welsh as a Second Language D - English medium
Older siblings’ education n 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 cousins
Homework
Reading books
Computers
Language and education issues emerging n Parents’ values and experiences n Early social identities and institutionalization of learning n Education ideologies and provision n ‘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