Language labels, language practices: a multiple case study of parents with children enrolled in Dutch-medium education in Brussels

Student thesis: Doc typesDocteur en Langues, lettres et traductologie

Résumé

In this dissertation, we looked into the language practices and language-related representations (or labels) of parents from different (linguistic) backgrounds in multilingual Brussels. Applying a social rather than linguistic approach to bilingualism, we conducted semi-directed interviews and collected spoken data from five couples, which were analyzed through a critical discourse analytic approach. The main aims of the study were threefold: (1) to investigate how the parents themselves relate to a number of common sociolinguistic labels used in policymaking, research and general discourse on language and identity in Brussels; (2) to look into the language practices these parents engage in and the ways in which these practices resonate with the labels used; (3) to examine whether and how having a child in Dutch-medium education in Brussels both informs these parents’ language practices and the way they describe themselves.
la date de réponse24 janv. 2014
langue originaleAnglais
L'institution diplômante
  • Universite de Namur
SuperviseurLaurence Mettewie (Promoteur), Elisabeth Leijnse (Président), Jeroen Darquennes (Jury), Christine Helot (Jury), Patricia Lamarre (Jury) & Rudi Janssens (Jury)

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