‘Guided by What We Believe’: Parental Language Ideologies and Prioritization of National Standard Languages in Chinese-Polish and Indonesian-Polish Families

This comparative case study examines how parental language ideologies shape family language policy in Chinese-Polish and Indonesian-Polish families. Based on interviews with six families, it explores how parents’ evaluations of heritage languages and varieties shape language management and how far these priorities are sustained in practice. Across cases, Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia were prioritized over regional varieties for their legitimacy and communicative reach. Management practices varied; some families adopted routinized strategies and others relied on flexible approaches. Ideological commitment did not guarantee sustained heritage-language use; transmission depended on routines, partner support, children’s responses, and shared understanding in intercultural family communication.