Ten years later : What has become of FLP?

Abstract

In this special issue, we focus on how family language policy (FLP) as a field of enquiry has evolved over the ten years since the publication of the first thematic issue on FLP in Language Policy in 2013. We explore how some of the long-standing issues, such as language shift, language status and language attitude, have been addressed through the lens of raciolinguistic and critical theories, and how new challenges, such as digital communications, have shaped family language practices. We further explore how political conflicts have influenced families of forced migration and families in diasporic contexts, to redefine their identities through aspiration and illusion. By comparing with the first thematic issue, we outline in this volume how the contributing papers differ in their theoretical perspectives, epistemological stances and varied data sources to approach different aspects of FLP. The contributors herein explore different aspects of FLP in relation to multilingualism, involving indigenous and minority languages and in the contexts of UK, Norway, Finland, Mexico, Singapore and New Zealand. Entering into a new phase of FLP at a time with heightened political crisis and war in Europe and the Middle East, we argue that more interdisciplinary synergy should be sought to advance the field of FLP.