Linguistic anxiety, insecurity, and fulfilment of bilingual parenting: emotional complexities experienced by Chinese immigrant families

Managing the acquisition of the societal language while maintaining the heritage language is crucial for the socio-emotional well-being of transnational and minority families. This study aims to explore the emotional aspects of language within three Chinese-Australian families raising Mandarin-English bilingual children. Employing an ethnographic approach including interviews, informal conversations, observations, and collection of literacy evidence, this study investigates the families’ migration stories, language ideologies and decisions, and emotional experiences. Additionally, the study examines the factors influencing family language policies (FLPs) and the emotional climate surrounding language within these households. Throughout their settlement journey, the three families frequently grappled with the conflicting desires of maintaining heritage Chinese and developing the prestigious societal language, English. These conflicting societal and familial pressures conditioned parents’ emotions and subsequently affected their decisions regarding FLPs. The study uncovers how fluctuations in parents’ language emotions correlate with changes in their chosen FLPs, revealing the intricate connection between parents’ emotional well-being and their children’s bilingual capacities within the hierarchically constructed linguistic landscape. This study underscores the significance of power relations in shaping FLPs and highlights the pivotal role of children’s heritage language bilingualism in contributing to the overall well-being of the families.