Intergenerational Language Transmission in Urban Spaces: Constructing Family Identities in Multilingual Contexts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22333/ijme.2026.11529Abstract
In multilingual urban spaces, families actively navigate the use of dominant languages while preserving indigenous ones. Intergenerational language transmission becomes central to sustaining linguistic heritage and constructing family identities. This study investigates the strategies employed by parents and grandparents to promote language use at home and examines how language transmission influences family identities in multilingual urban settings. Grounded in Family Language Policy (FLP) (Curdt-Christiansen, 2009) and the Sociocultural Theory of Identity Construction (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005), the study employed a qualitative ethnographic design involving twenty-four (24) participants from eight (8) families, four each, from Kumasi and Cape Coast. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were employed to identify three-generation families with active intergenerational contact, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The data were analysed thematically. The findings indicate that parents and grandparents employ multiple strategies to promote the use of indigenous languages. These include the consistent use of indigenous languages at home, rewards, storytelling, and, notably, informal language classes organised by grandparents, which emerged as a significant finding. Additionally, three established family identities were identified: ethnic identity, elite bilingual identity, and mixed identity. Alongside these, two emergent identities were further identified: a conflicted bilingual identity and a historically rooted colonial-heritage identity. These emergent identities reflect psychological tensions, intergenerational concerns, and the lasting impact of colonial history on language practices. The study concludes that urban families serve as dynamic sites for both the preservation and transformation of linguistic heritage, striking a balance between educational priorities, cultural maintenance, and historical legacies.
References
Adjei, E. A., & Ansah, M. A. (2022). The Storytelling Tradition at Larteh, Ghana: Implications for Language Vitality. European Journal of Language and Culture Studies, 1(5), 23-32. DOI: 10.24018/ejlang.2022.1.5.28
Afrifa, G. A., Anderson, J. A., & Ansah, G. N. (2019). The Choice of English as a Home Language in Urban Ghana. Current Issues in Language Planning, 20(4), 418-434. DOI: 10.1080/14664208.2019.1582947
Albury, N. (2020). Language Attitudes and Ideologies on Linguistic Diversity. In A. C. Schalley & S. A. Eisenchlas (Eds.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors (pp. 357-376). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Alfat, A. A., & Que, S. R. (2022). The Importance of Intangible Reward in English Language Learning. Huele: Journal of Applied Linguistics, Literature and Culture, 2(1), 1-13.
Antwi, E. (2022). Code-switching in Political Campaign Speeches: The Case of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast. Cape Coast, Ghana.
Antwi, E., & Edu-Buandoh, D. F. (2025). " Sir, Please Can I Speak Twi?": Examining Students' Linguistic Rights in Senior High Schools in Ghana. International Journal for Multilingual Education, 26(2), 91-115. doi.org/10.22333/ijme.2025.9894
Asare-Amoah, S. & Eshun, P. (2015). Research Methods. Winneba, Ghana: Institute for Educational Development and Extension.
Asilevi, F. (2011). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Pragmatics. Winneba, Ghana: Institute for Educational Development and Extension.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Brooksbank, J. (2017). Family Language Policy: Parental Discourse Strategies and Child Responses. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Ottawa, Canada.
Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and Interaction: A Sociocultural Linguistic Approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4-5), 585-614. DOI:10.1177/1461445605054407
Creswell, J. W. & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Curdt-Christiansen, X. (2013). Family language policy: sociopolitical reality versus linguistic continuity. Language policy, 12(1). 1-6. doi 10.1007/s10993-012-9269-0
Curdt-Christiansen, X. L. (2009). Invisible and visible language planning: Ideological factors in the family language policy of Chinese immigrant families in Quebec. Language Policy, 8(4), 351-375. DOI 10.1007/s10993-009-9146-7
Curdt-Christiansen, X. L., & Huang, J. (2020). Factors influencing family language policy. In A. C. Schalley & S. A. Eisenchlas (Eds.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors (pp. 174-193). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
De Houwer, A. (2020). Harmonious Bilingualism: Well-being for families in bilingual Settings. In A. C. Schalley & S. A. Eisenchlas (Eds.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors (pp. 63-83). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Edu-Buandoh, D. F. (2016). Identity and Representation through Language in Ghana: The Postcolonial Self and the Other. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 4(1), 34-44.
Ellis, E. M., & Sims, M. (2022). “It’s like the root of a tree that I grew up from….”: Parents’ Linguistic Identity Shaping Family Language Policy in Isolated Circumstances. Multilingua, 41(5), 529-548. doi.org/10.1515/multi-2021-0100
Fabusoro, A. T. (2022). Home Bilingual and Cultural Literacy Practices of Yoruba Heritage Speakers towards Identity Maintenance in the Midwest United States. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Gabriel, H. (2024). Choice and Use of Sangu Language among Sangu Speakers of Mbarali Mbeya Region, Tanzania. East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 7(1), 62-73. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajass.7.1.1725
Karpava, S. (2021). The Effect of the Family Type and Home Literacy Environment on the Development of Literacy Skills by Bi-/Multilingual Children in Cyprus. Languages, 6(2), 102. DOI: https://doi. org/10.3390/languages6020102
Karpava, S. (2022). The Interrelationship of Family Language Policies, Emotions, Socialisation Practices and Language Management Strategies. Journal of Home Language Research, 5(1), 1–23. DOI: https://doi. org/10.16993/jhlr.44
Kilangi, C. T. (2024). Family Language Policy and Intergenerational Heritage Language Transmission among Inter-ethnic families in Tanzania: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Journal of Linguistics and Language in Education, 18(1), 107-122. DOI:10.56279/jlle.v18i1.7
King, K. A., Fogle, L., & Logan-Terry, A. (2008). Family Language Policy. Language and Linguistics Compass, 2(5), 907–922. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2008.00076.x
Lanza, E. (2021). The Family as a Space: Multilingual Repertoires, Language Practices and Lived Experiences. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 42(8), 763-771. doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1080/01434632.2021.1979015
Lanza, E., & Gomes, R. L. (2020). Family Language Policy: Foundations, Theoretical Perspectives and Critical Approaches. In A. C. Schalley & S. A. Eisenchlas (Eds.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors (pp.153-173). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Lawer, R. A. (2025). Language Practices in Multilingual Ghanaian Nuclear Families: Exploring Mother-Child Interaction and L1 Transmission. Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Language Teaching (JLLLT), 4(2), 76-93.
Lising, L. (2022). “I want her to be able to think in English”: Challenges to Heritage Language Maintenance in a Monolingual Society. Multilingua, 41(5), 549-569. doi.org/10.1515/multi-2021-0106
Little, S. (2020). Whose heritage? What inheritance? Conceptualising Family Language Identities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(2), 198-212. DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2017.1348463
Mkrweqana, Z. M. (2022). Factors that determine the Language of Communication in Multilingual Families. Unpublished master’s thesis. University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Nakamura, J. (2016). Hidden bilingualism: Ideological Influences on the Language Practices of Multilingual Migrant MOTs in Japan. International Multilingual Research Journal, 10(4), 308–323. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2016.1206800
Nutakor, Y. E., & Amfo, N. A. A. (2018). Language socialisation practices of children in multilingual Accra, Ghana. Legon Journal of the Humanities, 29(1), 162-194. DOI: doi.org/10.4314/ljh.v29i1.7
Ohene-Asante, F. (2021). Language Use in the Home Domain in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis: A Sociolinguistic Study. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast. Cape Coast, Ghana.
Owu-Ewie, C., & Edu-Buandoh, D. F. (2014). Living with Negative Attitudes towards the Study of L1 in Ghanaian Senior High Schools (SHS). Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 3(2), 1-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/gjl.v3i2.1
Purkarthofer, J. (2020). Intergenerational Challenges: Of Handing Down Languages, Passing on Practices, and Bringing Multilingual Speakers into Being. In A. C. Schalley & S. A. Eisenchlas (Eds.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development (pp. 130–153). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. DOI: https:// doi.org/10.1515/9781501510175-007
Schalley, A. C., & Eisenchlas, S. A. (2020). Social and Affective Factors in Home Language Maintenance and Development: Setting the Scene. In A. C. Schalley & S. A. Eisenchlas (Eds.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development: Social and Affective Factors (pp. 1-16). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Seong, S. H., & Luef, E. M. (2020). The Intersection of Migration and Language Education in the 21st Century: Traditional Views and New Perspectives. Migration and Language Education, 1(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.29140/mle.v1n1.294
Sevinç, Y., & Dewaele, J.-M. (2018). Heritage language anxiety and majority language anxiety among Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. International Journal of Bilingualism, 22(2), 159–179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006916661635
Tamleh, H., Rutten, G., & Parafita Couto, M. D. C. (2025). Language Ideologies guiding Language Practices and Management Strategies: A Study of Family Language Policy among Iranian Families in the Netherlands. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2442054
Yousef, A., & Taylor-Leech, K. (2018). “It would be nice if someone took the load off you”: Arabic-speaking New-Australian Mothers and the Challenges of Heritage Language Maintenance. Journal of Home Language Research, 3, 1-16.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) - Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License, which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access). Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to a repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
