ERIC Number: EJ1174974
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-0050
EISSN: N/A
'In This Country My Children Are Learning Two of the Most Important Languages in Europe': Ideologies of Language as a Commodity among Greek Migrant Families in Luxembourg
Gogonas, Nikos; Kirsch, Claudine
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v21 n4 p426-438 2018
This paper explores the language ideologies of three middle-class migrant Greek families in Luxembourg, one 'established' family and two 'new' crisis-led migrant families, all of whose children attend Luxembourgish state schools. While the families differ in terms of migration trajectory, their language ideologies converge. The findings of this ethnographic study show that all parents view multilingualism as an asset and relate it to culture, identity and job opportunities. The parents' ideologies are shaped both by their desire to improve their social standing and by societal discourses on the values of languages in the job market and in the Higher Education. Luxembourg's official trilingualism is seen as a symbol of national cohesion and it is viewed as a commodity on the job market. Thus, the development of children's multilingualism in French, German and English is seen as a 'commodity' which, they hope, will enable children to compete in the new globalised, transnational and post-industrial/services market.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Immigrants, Language Usage, Ideology, Ethnography, Multilingualism, Cultural Influences, Identification (Psychology), Social Influences, Official Languages, French, German, English, Global Approach, Job Skills, Higher Education, European History, Qualitative Research, Middle Class, Participant Observation, Interviews, Parents, Language of Instruction
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece; Luxembourg
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A