Linguistic intermarriage is of significant interest in understanding language practices in the context of global migration (Clyne & Kipp, 1997; Goncalves, 2013; Okita, 2002; Piller, 2001, 2002). However, the focus is almost... [ view full abstract ]
Linguistic intermarriage is of significant interest in understanding language practices in the context of global migration (Clyne & Kipp, 1997; Goncalves, 2013; Okita, 2002; Piller, 2001, 2002). However, the focus is almost always on the partner from the migrant and/or minority-language background. In contrast, this research focuses on those of English speaking background (ESB) who are married to migrant partners who speak a language other than English (LOTE). Using a questionnaire and interviews with 14 couples and 16 individuals which were collected over a period of eighteen months in Sydney, Australia, the role of language in the family was explored. Using discourse and content analysis, two key areas where language is implicated were identified: bilingual childrearing and communication with LOTE-speaking in-laws. It was found that expectations around bilingual childrearing and in-law communication intersected with gendered parenting roles. The research further found LOTEs were at times constructed as problematic in communication with in-laws overseas. This research has implications for the way that gendered ideologies play out in cross-linguistic intimate relationships and their intersection with dominant language ideologies such as the territorial principle.
Clyne, M., & Kipp, S. ( 1997). Language maintenance and language shift: Community languages in Australia,. People and Place, 5(4), 8.
Goncalves, K. (2013). Conversations with Intercultural Couples. Berlin: Akademie Verlag.
Okita, T. (2002). Invisible work bilingualism, language choice, and childrearing in intermarried families. In (pp. vi, 274 p.). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utslibrary/Doc?id=10022323
Piller, I. (2001). Linguistic Intermarriage: Language choice and negotiation of identity. In A. Pavlenko, A. Blackledge, I. Piller, & M. Teutsch-Dwyer (Eds.), Multilingualism, Second Language Learning and Gender. Berlin New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Piller, I. (2002). Bilingual couples talk : the discursive construction of hybridity. Amsterdam ; Philadelphia: J. Benjamins.
