Paternal agency in heritage language maintenance in Australia: Polish fathers in action

• Autores: Piotr Romanowski
• Localización: International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, ISSN 1367-0050, Vol. 25, Nº. 9, 2022, págs. 3320-3332
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • By adopting a tripartite FLP framework, this study aims to explore the agentive role of Polish-speaking fathers in heritage language maintenance. At the outset, it should be noted that as the theme of paternal agency has not been given much prominence in research, this paper delves into how Polish fathers of heteronormative families endeavour to maintain the minority language. More significantly, with the perspective of a new father–child relationship characterised by acknowledged paternity, presence and active involvement in a child’s life, the present article gives voice to fathers who want to engage in everyday language practices that seem to transgress the codes of hegemonic masculinity. Thus, the analysis of transcripts from semi-structured interviews disclose the informants’ ample opportunities for childcare, and most importantly, their struggle for children’s bilingual development. Fathers, as the primary agents, can have profound influence on their offspring’s beliefs, values, attitudes and behavioural patterns concerning the heritage language. The investigation underlines the fact that the gender of the minority-language speaking parent is less important in bilingual childrearing than the actual access to resources, time, and motivation. The study suggests that paternal agency exerts a significant influence on children’s linguistic orientation.