Immigrant Hungarian families' perceptions of new media technologies in the transmission of heritage language and culture

‘Glued to the family’: the role of familism in heritage language development strategies

“…Thus, as much as parents might like to blame themselves for, or credit themselves with, their children's proficiency in their HL, the past few decades of sociolinguistic research point to the fact that children's linguistic and cultural participation in a larger community can be as significant as the role of the family (Tse, 2001;Zentella, 1997) and that parental interactions alone are insufficient for HLD (Kravin, 1992). Being that children are socialised both through language and into language use within a community, we may claim that minority language maintenance success hinges on both domestic and extra-domestic community participation working in conjunction -including geographically distant communities (Decapua & Wintergerst, 2009;Guardado & Becker, 2013;Szecsi & Szilagyi, 2012). Nevertheless, far fewer studies have examined the language socialisation activities in which communities and community groups engage (for exceptions, see Blackledge & Creese, 2010;Guardado, 2008a).…”

“…Peer groups, community associations, and family, both close and distal (Shin, 2013;Szecsi & Szilagyi, 2012), real and imagined (Kanno & Norton, 2003), are all among the most influential social groupings in HLD. Therefore, to further probe the intersection between affective familial ties and HLD strategies, this article draws on ethnographic data to address the following question: What strategies did the parents use in pursuing HLD and how were these supported by the children's affective ties to extended family members?…”

Teaching Strategies: “What If I Don't Speak It?” Classroom Strategies to Nurture Students' Heritage Languages

“…These opportunities include reading children's books and folk tales in the HL, utilizing support within the ethnic community, spending extended time in the heritage country, and using technology (DeCapua & Wintergerst, 2002;Hashimoto & Lee, 2011;Nesteruk, 2010;Park & Sarkar, 2007;Rydin & Sjonberg, 2008;Şenyürekli & Detzner, 2009). Specifically, parents and grandparents in one study repeatedly pointed out the significance of adults' active involvement in selecting appropriate resources, and guiding children in the optimal and creative use of media technologies (Szecsi & Szilagyi, 2012). However, even a combination of various opportunities for learning and using the HL might not guarantee the children's HL development, and children may become dominant in the school's majority language (the language of instruction), regardless of the families' strong intentions to maintain the HL (Nesteruk, 2010;Zhang, 2010).…”

“…Teachers can encourage children to play the game in their HL to improve all language skills. Teachers also can call parents' attention to finding interactive educational games in their HL so that children can use the HL in authentic and enjoyable contexts (Szecsi & Szilagyi, 2012).…”

“…Considering the significant amount of time and effort it takes to maintain the HL at home (Szecsi & Szilagyi, 2012), teachers can provide valuable support through simply showing appreciation of the HL. By doing so, they not only reinforce the parents' efforts, they also assist in the process of learning about the HL and culture.…”