Family language policy in Miao families in Guizhou Province, China : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until further notice.

Abstract

Focusing on Miao ethnic minority in Guizhou Province of China, this study explores Miao parents’ perceptions of maintaining Miao languages and cultures, and factors affecting their decisions in their household. While much research around language maintenance has focused on immigrant families in transnational contexts, this is a relatively new field of inquiry in China with very limited studies on ethnic minorities. This study adopts Curdt-Christiansen’s (2009, 2018) interdisciplinary framework of family language policy (FLP), and Curdt-Christiansen and Huang’s (2020) updated work on dynamic model of FLP, which are grounded in Spolsky’s (2004, 2012, 2019) language policy model. Semi-structured interviews were the primary data collection method, alongside multimodal data to further elaborate the interview discussion. Through personal networks and snowballing strategies, 22 Miao parents voluntarily participated in interviews. Thematic analysis and narrative writing were employed to ensure a systematic analysis of recurring patterns across all participants and to highlight uniqueness and complexities embedded in individual narratives . . . This research highlights the intergenerational efforts in response to maintaining and transmitting minority and heritage languages at home and beyond. This study offers nuanced insights into how hierarchical language ideologies, local language competition, intermarriage, sociopolitical and sociolinguistic factors shaped inconsistent patterns of language management. The findings also provide implications for ethnic minority language maintenance, especially in contexts where cultural promotion and language support are unevenly aligned.--Shortened abstract