Siblings' play and language shift to English in a Malay‐English bilingual family in Singapore

Abstract

This research applies language socialization theory within a family language policy framework to investigate how language shift is realized in daily activities within a Malay‐English bilingual family in Singapore. Applying Goffman's frame analysis to two excerpts of siblings’ play from ninety hours of recordings of family interactions, we illustrate how children as young as four and seven enact adult roles such as teacher and student within the frame of play. In creatively enacting these roles, identities and social relations, the children draw upon their knowledge of play‐external structures – with which they have experience from other (non‐play) situations. The children consequently use English – what is typical of educational settings in Singapore – to portray an image of a teacher and student within the frame of play.

What can interactional sociolinguistics bring to the family language policy research table? The case of a Malay family in Singapore

“…As the later lines illustrate, the two sisters engage in an act of buying and selling, something that happens outside the home. This is in line with previous studies (Mirvahedi and Cavallaro 2019; Smith-Christmas 2020) that show children's imaginative play that places them in certain frames related to the outside world can be a site of language shift. These frames are often evoked and established by older siblings who have more experience of the outside world.…”

“…Rather than the standard OPOL policy where each parent sticks to only one language, the parents here use both languages fluidly. However, as it was expressed in the interviews and illustrated in the interaction where the children were involved, their presumably balanced input in the two languages were far from 'balanced' (see also Mirvahedi and Cavallaro 2019). The outcome of such a fluid OPOL was the children's predominant interest and proficiency in English.…”

Revisiting the Past to Understand the Present: The Linguistic Ecology of the Singapore Deaf Community and the Historical Evolution of Singapore Sign Language (SgSL)

“…The Malay community also comprises different dialects of the Malay language and other languages such as Javanese, Boyanese and Batak. Although the Malay community has been viewed as more successful conservators of their language in comparison with other ethnic communities, there is an apparent shift from Malay to the increasing use of English, especially among the younger generations and those from higher socioeconomic and education backgrounds (Mirvahedi and Cavallaro, 2019). This is confirmed in the 2020 census which indicates a dramatic 17.5% increment in the use of English by Singaporean Malays.…”

Using a ‘Family Language Policy’ lens to explore the dynamic and relational nature of child agency

“…The second instance in which the Wieniawski sisters go against the grain of the pro‐Polish FLP is in their interactions with each other, as they report often using English when speaking together. The use of the majority language among siblings is not uncommon and can be a potential precipitating step for language shift within the family (Kopeliovich, 2013; Mirvahedi & Cavallaro, 2020). The following example—in which the sisters describe how they were inspired by a TikTok video to do something that involved putting glue for fingernails on their lips—illustrates the premise that the Wieniawski sisters often use English together.…”