Raising Kyrgyz kids: family language policy, childrearing, and language shift in a Bishkek family

• McDermott, Ashley ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

     University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

     City of Ann Arbor, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, ISSN 1367-0050, Vol. 29, Nº. 8, 2026, págs. 1186-1206
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This study investigates the intersection of Family Language Policy, childrearing practices, and language shift from Kyrgyz to Russian in a household in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Through participant observation and analysis of quotidian interactions within one middle-class family, the research examines why despite stigmatization of Russian-speaking Kyrgyz children and fears of language shift, most interactions in the household are in Russian. Preference for Russian in the family is shaped by parenting ideologies, or beliefs about what constitutes proper childrearing. In this case, the parents desire a ‘gentler’ upbringing than they believe they themselves experienced, emphasizing creativity, freedom, and democratic relationships among family members. The parents’ parenting philosophies indirectly result in a Family Language Policy in which children’s linguistic preferences are nearly always accommodated to, thus contributing to Russian use in the home. Children also actively influence Family Language Policy, as they respond to accommodation in Russian, suggesting a change in how language is used to negotiate kinship and authority within the family. Ultimately the work demonstrates how understanding language shift requires exploring the interconnection among global influences on childrearing practices, local language ideologies, and the active role of children in shaping Family Language Policy.