This book gives fresh insight into the diverse ways in which the
transmission of minority and heritage languages is carried out in a
range of sociolinguistic contexts. When traditional modes of
intergenerational transmission begin to break down, minority language
and diaspora communities resort to other modes of transmission, out of
necessity, to complement traditional mechanisms and secure language
maintenance. This volume brings together a broad range of studies of
these alternative modes of transmission, examining the complex and
diverse practical, ideological and personal challenges that arise in
different settings. Beyond addressing the dynamics of language use
within the home and family, the book also emphasises the importance of
the participation of the minority community itself in language and
cultural transmission. These mechanisms and initiatives, sometimes
overlooked or dismissed in the academic literature, will prove to be
essential in maintaining and ensuring the survival of minority and
heritage languages into the 21st century and beyond. The twelve chapters
in the book are divided into four sections (intergenerational
transmission; transmission in post-traditional families; alternatives to
'traditional' transmission; and transmission in diasporic contexts), and
the language contexts, both minoritised and diasporic, which are
discussed include Basque, Breton, Galician, Guernesais, Irish, Māori,
Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Sorbian and Spanish. This book will be of
interest to students and scholars of sociolinguistics, language
acquisition, heritage language maintenance and revitalization, and
language policy and planning.
