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Bilingualism: A Gift or a Burden?

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Mixed Family Life in the UK

Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life ((PSFL))

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Abstract

The second findings chapter explores language use in the mixed families. Language is an interesting phenomenon because it is one of the most frequently mentioned challenges in international marriages, yet it is also an aspect of culture that parents strongly want to pass on to their mixed children. This chapter begins with a literature review of topics surrounding language, including bilingualism and heritage language speakers. Following this, the chapter focuses on the mixed, interlingual families and how they communicate with one another, as well as how parents negotiate language(s) on their mixed children’s behalf, such as deciding whether or not the children are raised bilingual (or trilingual); what language(s) are spoken in the home and by whom; how (and if) they will share the responsibility of teaching the children the different languages; who will assist with the children’s English homework, and whether or not the children will attend external Japanese language lessons. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion surrounding how parents find a compromise between their linguistic ambitions for their children and the children’s own wishes.

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  1. Tokyo, Japan

    M. Nakamura Lopez

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  1. M. Nakamura Lopez
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Correspondence to M. Nakamura Lopez .

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Nakamura Lopez, M. (2017). Bilingualism: A Gift or a Burden?. In: Mixed Family Life in the UK . Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57756-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57756-2_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57755-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57756-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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