Maternal Perceptions of Agency in Intergenerational Transmission of Spanish: The case of Latinos in the U.S. Midwest

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Author
Author
Velazquez, Isabel
Journal
Journal of Language, Identity and Education
Details
Resource Type
Journal
Acquisition Number
BE025441
Published Date
07-17-2015 3:55 PM
Published Year
2014
Number of Pages
18
Language(s)
Subscription Only
No
Abstract
This article examines the ways in which a group of first-generation Latino immigrants to the U.S. Midwest conceptualized their role in their children's bilingual development. Respondents were asked to identify the individuals or institutions on which their children's language and academic development depended, as well as household practices perceived as conducive to Spanish maintenance, and perceived obstacles to their children's use of Spanish in the domains of home, school, and community. Discussion centers on maternal perceptions of agency because of the centrality of the mother in intergenerational minority language transmission. It is argued here that immigrant mothers' perceptions of agency are impacted by several factors. Among them: the experience of migration, the power imbalance created when their children are more fluent than the parents are in the majority language and culture, and finally, by the negotiation of ideological tensions between members of intra-community Latino networks of solidarity and the community at large.
Topics
Research
Research
Home Environment and Language Practices
Family and Community Involvement
Bilingualism