Heritage Language Maintenance And Family Social Structure: The Role Of Family Members In Cross-generational Transmission Of Chaouia Across Nuclear And Extended Families In Oum El Bouaghi City

Abstract

As research in heritage language maintenance intersects with the family from all outlooks, family structure should be an essential aspect to investigate. A context which can serve such an investigation is the Algerian one alongside its societal and linguistic background of Berbers. Accordingly, this study explores the dynamics of family language policy of Algerian Chaoui parents to inspect any potential role of nuclear and extended family structures on children’s Chaouia (Tachawit) maintenance. We utilized a quantitative approach to collect data of 245 survey respondents analyzed statistically. Findings indicate that it’s not primarily the family structure which affects Chaouia maintenance; rather, it’s the agents within the extended family like paternal and maternal grandparents, paternal uncles, aunts and cousins who can positively support children’s use of Chaouia irrespective of the family structure. Results support existing literature on the extended family members’ agentive role in heritage language maintenance; nonetheless, our study elucidates that the same role is attainable in a nuclear family provided that the extended family members are agentive. These results encourage in-depth qualitative research on the role of extended family members in heritage language maintenance in all family structures.