The Influence of Kalanga Parents' Language Ideologies on Children's Language Practices

This article explores the nexus between parents' language ideologies and children's language practices in the home. It focuses on the perspectives of 34 L1 Kalanga-speaking parents to understand the extent to which their language ideologies impact on children's language choices, in light of the diminished use of Kalanga in Zimbabwe generally. Drawing on insights from Family Language Policy (FLP), we argue that although parents' language ideologies are central in the articulation of family language policy among the Kalanga, parents' attitudes towards maintaining the home language do not always translate to children's conformity to parent-preferred language practices. The mismatch between parents' ideologies and children's practices is mediated by children's language experiences and practices in domains external to the family such as schools, which results in their reproduction at home.