Abstract
This presentation explores the language ideologies underpinning Family Language Policies (FLP) and practices in the multilingual context of South Tyrol (Italy). In this region, the ‘official’ minority language (i.e., German) is predominant, with German speakers living especially in rural areas, whereas Italian represents the majority in some urban areas (ASTAT, 2024). The hierarchization of languages and their speakers in education is particularly evident in the latter, where speakers of Italian and migrant languages (despite constituting a majority in terms of numbers) are minoritized in public communication (Thoma, 2022). Moreover, migrant languages are often defined as a ‘problem’ in educational institutions. Empirically, the presentation draws from a larger research project which investigates the transitions of children from pre-primary to primary education and consists of a multi-sited ethnography (Marcus, 1995) in schools, families, and other relevant places. We see families as “a vital social unit” (Lanza, 2007, p. 46) characterized by increased linguistic diversity as compared to the “monolingual habitus” (Gogolin, 2008) engendered by educational institutions. From this perspective, multilingual repertoires may challenge the linguistic boundaries between schools and home. Methodologically, the experiences of families are approached and related to one another through participant observations, documented using fieldnotes and audio recordings. Preliminary findings highlight and reconstruct practices, experiences, and perspectives of the families involved and relate them to emerging ideologies identified. The presentation also addresses some key methodological considerations in multilingualism research, namely the ethical questions and challenges arising from the field as well researchers’ own positioning and linguistic repertoires.