Abstract
Drawing on a selected sample of Malawian immigrants in South Africa, this paper investigates parental language socialisation and exposure to parental homecountry language and language practices of their children. Available research on immigrant language experiences in South Africa has mainly focused on schooling experiences. Research on immigrant home language practices is sparse. Little, if any, research has specifically addressed language transmission practices within the Malawian immigrant community in South Africa. The aim of the study is to investigate home language transmission within the Malawian community in South Africa. This paper uses a sociolinguistic approach to examine the transmission of Chichewa among Malawian immigrant families in South Africa. The theoretical framework positions Chichewa as a foreign language spoken by Malawian immigrants, mainly used in family circles and to a lesser extent in religious and social gatherings. A critical evaluation of the situation for each case focuses on children who grow up without or with only minimal exposure to the parental home-country language. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the ‘emergent’ home-country language speaker.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Chichewa, Emergent home-country language speaker, Language transmission, Parental language socialization, Parental home-country language, Malawian immigrants
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