Transmitting white monolingual Anglo-American norms: A concept analysis of “quality of language” in parent-child interactions

Abstract

White monolingual Anglo-American values permeate language acquisition research, which extends into public health and educational policies. “Quality of language” in parent-child interactions is often called upon to explain weaknesses in the language development of children who are racialized, experiencing poverty, or bilingual. Indeed, many early intervention approaches build on this premise by aiming to improve the “quality of language” used by parents. We aimed to understand the conceptualizations of “quality of language” in studies of parent-child interaction through the critical lens of Community Cultural Wealth Theory and perspectives from development research across cultures. We completed a Systematic Concept Analysis of articles published from 2010 to 2022 and focused on parent-child interactions in the home environment. Our search identified 972 articles and 78 met the inclusion criteria, but only 45 papers provided a definition. These definitions covered eight conceptualizations but only three were previously described. We also found inequity in the use of this terminology, which focused on children who were bilingual, had disability, or experiencing poverty. Informed by a critical lens, we recommend the use of four new terms to encompass “quality of language.” We also recommend refraining from using this term as it is value-laden, poorly defined, and diminishes culturally sustaining language transmission practices.

Language development, linguistic input, and linguistic racism

“…The developmental literature has since defined “quality” linguistic input in a myriad of ways, sometimes contradictory, other times not linguistic. In some cases, “quality” is not defined at all (MacLeod & Demers, 2023). When “quality” is defined, descriptions are for speech, not signs.…”

Towards a just and equitable applied psycholinguistics

“…In the MacLeod and Demers (2023, next issue) contribution, “Transmitting white monolingual Anglo-American norms: A concept analysis of ‘quality of language’ in parent-child interactions,” we see the impact of a combination of both monolingual/native speakerism ideologies and a failure of methodological considerations in understanding intersectionality of identities. The authors discuss how the concept of “quality of language” in parent–child interactions is used to explain language development weaknesses in children who are racialized, experiencing poverty, or bilingual.…”

Lexical and cognitive development of children learning regional languages: Studies from the Netherlands

“…Such research could look at interactive, linguistic and conceptual dimensions of input quality (Rowe & Snow, 2020). In addition, it would be important to consider the conceptualization of input quality in the context of regional languages (MacLeod & Demers, 2023).…”