Heritage & Family Languages in French-speaking Belgium: Issues of Legitimacy and Integration ...

The article presents some of the results of a sociolinguistic research on the multilingual practices and representations of Francophone Belgians of immigrant descent. We focus on the perceived relationships between bi- or multilingualism and social integration or, conversely, marginalization. The study reveals that for our participants, there is no contradiction between the legitimate and necessary command of the French language in Francophone Belgium and their wish to see the language(s) of their parents preserved and practiced in the private sphere. Rejecting the idea that language maintenan... Mehr ...