Linguistic discrimination of heritage language speaking children

Why does it happen and how can parents tackle it?

Abstract

Between September and December 2023, Babylonia collected questions from parents regarding their children’s language development. This article aims to answer
the following questions:

It is 2024: why does our society still discriminate so strongly against certain languages and dialects? A Tigrinya-speaking child receives little appreciation from educational institutions compared to an English-speaking child. What are we still doing wrong? Who is most responsible for this inequality? How could these asymmetries be reduced as soon as possible? Why are decision-makers not interested in changing this?

People always say that we should cultivate children’s native/first languages. However, our family language is not welcome at school as part of the regular timetable, i.e., it is not promoted – isn’t this institutional discrimination? Why is this not (yet) being discussed in Switzerland? Is linguicism not an issue?

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This article addresses linguistic discrimination against children from families speaking a heritage language and the actions parents can take to confront it.
Linguistic discrimination against certain languages and dialects persists in our society, despite the discourse advocating for the valorization of children's native languages. Heritage languages, whether indigenous or from immigration, often face negative stereotypes and are undervalued, particularly within the educational system.
This discrimination originates from linguistic attitudes, which are the beliefs people develop about languages and their speakers. These attitudes are acquired early in life and associate certain languages with socially low-status groups. This leads to the stigmatization and marginalization of children using these heritage languages.

The consequences can be severe, sometimes pushing parents to reduce their children's exposure to the heritage language, thereby harming its development.

To support their children's bilingualism, parents can first create a family environment where the heritage language is valued and regularly used. They can also raise their children's awareness of the importance of this language and their cultural identity.

At the institutional level, public policies promoting support for heritage languages would be beneficial, but their implementation requires mobilization from parents. They can organize collectively to make their demands heard by political decision-makers.

By addressing negative linguistic attitudes and obtaining better institutional support, it will be possible to reduce the discrimination faced by children from families speaking a heritage language.