Akgun Ezin, Busra. 2025. Children’s Agency in Family Language Policy: Turkish-speaking families in the UK. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis]

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Abstract or Description

Research in the field of multilingualism in recent decades has demonstrated that family language policies in multilingual households are not solely negotiated by parents, but are also shaped by children’s beliefs and practices (Fogle & King, 2013; Gafaranga, 2010; Smith-Christmas, 2020). This is particularly evident in immigrant families, where tensions between ethnic values and the norms of the broader society can lead to intrafamilial negotiations and diversity in language use (Revis, 2016; Said & Zhu, 2019). This study explores how agency is negotiated and constructed by multilingual, British-born, Turkish-speaking children from multigenerational families living in London. Agency, in this context, is understood as “the socioculturally-mediated capacity to act” (Ahearn, 2001, p. 112 ), as reflected in the children’s narratives and language practices.

Using ethnography as the research method, this study draws on data from participant observation, semi-structured interviews with grandparents and parents, and language portraits with children to investigate how children navigate their linguistic repertoires in the negotiation and construction of family language policies during everyday interactions. Turkish-speaking families in the UK navigate complex linguistic repertoires, highlighting the nuanced negotiations of language use and identity within the context of broader social and cultural tensions. (Çavuşoğlu, 2021; Yilmaz, 2016). The study adopts a post-structuralist perspective on language, viewing languages as fluid components of dynamic repertoires rather than fixed entities (Busch, 2012).

In this study, I argue that children actively shape language practices within their families by negotiating their language choices. My findings illustrate the dynamic and relational nature of child agency, emphasising how it is both shaped by and shapes interactional practices over time and space (Smith‐Christmas, 2021). Through multifaceted and creative strategies, children assert their agency in constructing and renegotiating family language policies. Furthermore, language portrait task reveals how children use body images as metaphorical spaces to express their lived experiences with languages, demonstrating how bodily and emotional associations influence their language choices (Busch, 2021). By focusing on these interactions, this study extends our understanding of multilingualism within family contexts and underscores the critical role children play in shaping linguistic diversity across generations.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Keywords:	Family Language Policy, Children’s Agency, Turkish-speaking families in the UK
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Educational Studies
Date:	28 February 2025
Item ID:	38674
Date Deposited:	04 Apr 2025 09:46
Last Modified:	04 Apr 2025 09:46
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/38674

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