Well, If You Talk to Me in Norwegian, I Won’t Answer You: Language Policies and Practices in Latvian Diasporic Families

The article explores the concept of family language policy in relation to heritage languages and child agency in the context of Latvian as a heritage language. Its aim is to find out what role Latvian may have in relation to other languages within the core families in the diaspora, as well as in communication with their extended families in Latvia. For this, we investigate which language beliefs and attitudes underlie those language practices and examine children’s engagement in family language management. Our research is based on 20 in-depth interviews collected in 2023. Respondents were recruited through the distance online learning program “Latvian as a foreign language teacher” created for the Latvian diaspora and through Saturday (community) schools. The main research questions are as follows: What role does Latvian have in relation to other languages in Latvian diasporic families, and how do language practices reflect beliefs and attitudes of the parents? Which languages and which communication channels are used by diasporic families in communication with their (extended) families in Latvia? What impact do children have on family language policies? Our data show a huge diversity in family language practices, switching between two and more languages depending on communicative situations, the age of children, their language proficiency, and the communication channels. Family members flexibly use their languages to participate in family life and to achieve interactional goals, not always focusing just on particular language use. Heritage language transmission correlates with family language planning and consequent language use. On the other hand, language is tightly tied to the relationships and emotions of family members.