LANGUAGE HIERARCHIES AT WORK: FAMILY LANGUAGE POLICIES OF TURKISH-ARABIC BILINGUAL FAMILIES LIVING IN HATAY

Date

2025-7

Author

Büyükaşık Güzelşemme, Neşe

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This doctoral dissertation aimed to explore family language policies of five Turkish-Arabic bilingual families in an Arabic speaking community in Hatay. It also sought to understand the role of children in shaping their families’ language policies. Ethnographic case study design was employed for the purposes of the study. Data were collected through observations in families’ home settings, video recordings of family interactions and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was guided by Spolsky’s tripartite FLP model and Braun and Clarke’s (2021) Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The analysis yielded five main themes and sub-themes related to the three components of Spolsky’s FLP model. Findings related to the participant parents’ language ideologies revealed that they ranked Turkish and Arabic based on their perceptions of utility and value of these languages in the present day. For language practices, the findings revealed that participant parents adjusted their language based on the interlocutor and content of the interactions. Besides, participants held two conflicting beliefs about the role of grandparents on their children’s learning of Arabic. Another finding concerning language practices was that most parents preferred Arabic on occasions like religious holidays and funeral ceremonies pointing to the complementarity principle by Grosjean (1997). In addition, parents expressed their endearment, love and affection to their children in Arabic. As for language management, in general parents displayed a non-interfering, laissez-faire attitude regarding the transmission of Arabic in line with their language ideologies. Finally, the findings revealed individual variations in children’s attitude to and aptitude for the community language.

Subject Keywords

Bilingual families, Language ideologies, Language practices, Language management strategies, Child agency

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115182

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis