Language workout in bilingual mother-child interaction: A case study of heritage language practices in Russian-Swedish family talk

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines heritage language practices embedded in mundane family activities in a context of Russian-Swedish mother-child interaction. The analysis focuses on the organization and accomplishments of a variety of so-called home language lessons, here termed language workout. In mobilizing a teacher-talk register (e.g., corrections, questions with known answers, hyper-articulation), this practice resembles common language socialization practices in middle-class families. Its sequential organization (e.g. talk turns are coordinated with task turns; repetitions and expansion of the target linguistic item in the following turn) and consistent employment of a parent-talk register (e.g. diminutives) dialectically invoke educational and intimate, task- and language-oriented dimensions. The findings reveal that the realization of language policy in bilingual families relies not only on parental input and language choice, but also on the position of the child as a speaker and learner vis-a-vis the parent and ways in which the child is invited to put the target language into use. While family language policy research primarily uncovered how children challenge family language norms, this study highlights a format that allows for educational, affective and engaging exploration of bilingual language use with young children at home.