Future Prospects and Visions for Family Language Policy Research

Abstract

This chapter takes the current state of the research field of family language policy (FLP) as its point of departure and discusses topics that need further attention in future FLP research in order to give the necessary attention to multilingual family constellations and the conditions that form them as we enter the 2020s. The first part of the chapter starts out with a discussion of the concept of FLP-making as a dynamic enterprise across time and space and then outlines three major themes that need further recognition: taking the perspective of the child, including (non-linguistic) emotions, and including the contemporary mobile digital context in the study of FLP. The second part of the chapter puts forward some practical suggestions as to how these perspectives can be implemented in research: how to define the family as an object of study, what research questions may be asked, and what methodologies can be used. It is concluded that in order to find its future identity, the FLP research field needs to grow, develop and adapt in step with the changing times, and that this can be achieved through cross-disciplinary initiatives and the courage to think outside the box both theoretically and methodologically.