Family language policy (FLP) involves ideologies and approaches to how languages are managed, learned and negotiated within individual families. Using FLP as the theoretical framework, the present study focuses on heritage language (HL) maintenance in ethnically diverse Russian-speaking families and the ways in which these families position themselves in various sociocultural situations while exposed to different societal languages: Estonian, German and Swedish. The use of digital technologies is taken into account in order to understand its role in intergenerational language transmission.
The study aims to answer two main research questions: How does the use of digital technologies influence the language practices among (grand)parents and children within nuclear families? How does it change the communication patterns with extended family members, who live outside their country of residence, mainly in Russia or other Russian-speaking countries?
The study takes an approach of linguistic ethnography. A total of 15 Russian-speaking families in each country (Estonia, Germany and Sweden) answered semi-structured questionnaires about their sociolinguistic characteristics and participated in in-depth interviews regarding language use, language transmission and maintenance, and attitudes to all these processes.
The data analysis shows that the use of digital technologies has an impact on the language practices within the families but not necessarily on the use of Russian as a HL. Most families highlight the intensification of internet-based communication with extended family members and the supportive effect of digital technologies on intergenerational HL transmission, since younger family members gained more access to Russian via the internet. However, the role of digital technologies alone is limited when it comes to intergenerational HL transmission and such factors as the efforts of the parents and the agency of their children seem to be more important. Still, the joint use of digital technologies might have a positive effect, especially in those families where the children are actively involved in digital communication.
This comparative analysis of the family contexts helps explain the variation in the development of families' linguistic identities and language use strategies. We also identify clear similarities and differences between these families, especially in terms of immigrant family digital language practices.
