The Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning, Aûk and the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) in Flensburg, Germany, will conduct a large-scale study in Fryslân on language transmission within young families. The province of Fryslân has awarded a grant to the project 'The intergenerational transmission of West Frisian: promoting multilingual child-rearing and supporting (future) parents', which will take two years to complete.
Language transmission is important for the survival of a language. The personal attitude people adopt towards the (minority) language plays an important role in this. Ruth Kircher (ECMI), Jelske Dijkstra (Mercator/ Fryske Akademy), Mirjam Vellinga (Afûk) and Suzanne Dekker (Mercator/ Fryske Akademy) will therefore spend the next two years researching (future) parents' language attitudes towards Frisian and growing up multilingual. As a result, a language campaign will be launched.
The research focuses on people who want to have children, future parents who are expecting a baby and parents who have young children. During the project, questionnaires will be used to map which information sources parents need if they want to know more about raising their children in Frisian and at which moments they would like to receive this information. The data will provide insight into parents' motivation to pass on or not pass on Frisian to their children and will lead to recommendations for policymakers. Principal researcher Ruth Kircher has experience with similar research in the French-English province of Quebec in Canada. Kircher will lead the study and simultaneously conduct similar research in Nordfriesland in Germany. This will allow the two situations to be compared and learn from each other.
Kircher, Dijkstra, Vellinga and Dekker are working closely together at all stages of the project, but the ECMI is in charge of the research design. The Mercator European Research Centre and the Afûk are responsible for data collection. Mercator supervises the analysis and the report. Afterwards, the Afûk leads the awareness campaign for (future) parents, based on the research results. In addition, materials will be developed for professionals working with young children and (future) parents, such as midwives, speech therapists and paediatricians, to increase their knowledge and awareness of multilingualism and Frisian.
About Mercator
The Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning is part of the Fryske Akademy and researches multilingual education and language learning in Europe. It is an independent and recognised provider of knowledge and information on regional and minority languages in Europe. The Mercator European Research Centre is part of the scientific research institute Fryske Akademy, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year.
About Afûk
Afûk is the promotional organisation for the Frisian language and culture and thus has various tasks in the field of education and language promotion in and about Frisian. Afûk provides language courses and Frisian-language teaching materials, as well as publishes books and magazines, develops language and awareness campaigns and is a partner in international minority language projects.
About European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) in Flensburg is a renowned institute within Europe for the protection and empowerment of minorities. ECMI is an independent and interdisciplinary research centre established in 1996 by the governments of Denmark, Germany and Schleswig-Holstein.
Links
- Mercator Europeesk Kennissintrum foar Meartaligens en Taallearen
- Afûk
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)