Social and affective factors in bilingual (Japanese-English) children's Japanese language development in families where parents have different language backgrounds.

Project Member(s): Oguro, S.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Ian Potter Foundation (Ian Potter Foundation Travel and Conference)

Start year: 2016

Summary: This project explores the Japanese language development in children growing up in Australia in families where one parent's first language is Japanese and the other parent's first language is not Japanese. Much previous research has explored the linguistic input provided by the parent proficient in Japanese but has not significantly explored neither social and affective influences nor the role played by parents who are not proficient users of Japanese. This paper addresses this gap and reports findings from data collected from parents of differing language backgrounds with children aged 0-12 living in the greater Sydney area. The tools of questionnaires and interviews are used to uncover family practices and strategies which support children's Japanese language development. The results highlight the importance of social and affective factors such as the extent to which parents encourage, value and affirm purpose in their children's Japanese language development, including parents who may not be proficient users of Japanese. This project highlights the need for exploration of the complex nature of children's multilingual development in families of diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Publications:

Oguro, SG 1970, 'Fostering children’s Japanese language development within bilingual Australian families: exploring the role of parents without Japanese language background', Research Network Conference: Social and Affective Factors in Home Language Maintenance and Development (HOLM), Berlin, Centre for General Linguistics (ZAS).

FOR Codes: Language in Culture and Society (Sociolinguistics), Cultural Understanding not elsewhere classified, Sociolinguistics, Other culture and society not elsewhere classified, Pacific Peoples connection to land and environment

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.