Socialization into Persian language and culture: An investigation of mother-child interactions in a bilingual environment

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisor, colleagues, and all those who helped me in completing my research project, without their support the completion of this research study could not be possible.

DECLARATION

I adjudge, the content of this dissertation is completely collected and done by unaided effort and the material in it, has not been published ever before. The opinion that is reflected in this dissertation is purely my opinion and does not represent any University's opinion.

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ABSTRACT

This study tried to find out the relationship between socialization into Persian language and culture by investigating mother and child interaction in a bilingual environment. For finding out this, the two months observational phase was done. The data collected of the child's family home literacy's not only address the various types and uses of literacy/biliteracy but also the family's conversational activity and their everyday uses of verbal activity as a means of socializing children into the domains of both languages, Farsi and English. Thus, it can be concluded that socialization into Persian language and culture is easy when the mother interact and teach her child in the early stage.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Language, Identity, and Power3

Language socialization5

Parent strategies6

Language development8

Aim of Study10

Research questions10

Section summary10

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW11

Code swicthing and language socialization15

New technologies in early childhood literacy research16

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY18

Qualitative research method19

Video Recording21

Validity22

Reliability24

Ethical Concerns25

Literature Search26

Keywords Used27

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION28

Analysis28

Discussion29

Developmental stages of the language of bilinguals31

Code-switching32

Siblings effects in biliteracy practices32

The Socialization of Indirect and Polite Communicative Styles33

The Home Literacy Environment34

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS39

REFERENCES45



CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background

Since the introduction of the language socialization paradigm, many researchers have examined the scaffolding that language socialization affords, in order to explore the interconnectivity of socio-cultural behaviors and processes of language use. Based on the assumption that language socialization begins the moment a child is first brought into contact with its social environment; a large body of research has focused on children's early language learning and acquisition. One landmark study is conducted by Elinor Ochs and Bambi Schieffelin (1984). In their study, Ochs and Schieffelin cast behaviors of white middle class caregivers and young children as one developmental story. Consequently they compare this developmental story with another: the Kaluli (Papua Guinea).

One of the areas of interest for the current project to investigate is the code-switching of the bilingual novice. A study conducted by Lanza (1992) applies perspectives from sociolinguistics to investigate the language mixing of a bilingual two-year-old acquiring Norwegian and English simultaneously in Norway. In the following, the studies focusing on adult- child interactions and peer interactions are reviewed respectively. In adult-child interactions, Lightbown, Spada, (2006) conducted her two-year ethnographic study to examine how parents and teachers with Hasidic Jewish backgrounds socialized their children to practice religious moral rules that were highly valued in a Brooklyn, New York neighborhood.

These religious advocates (e.g., parents and teachers) encouraged children to obey their religious faith by rewarding culturally appropriate ways of speaking ...