1 “Daddy, nani itteru no?” – Native English-Speaking Fathers and Bilingual Childrearing in Intermarried Families in Japan1

Contemporary social change related to the structure and function of families has spurned an increasing scholarship of fatherhood, and much is now known about the vital and diverse roles that fathers play in the lives of their children. Similarly, there now exists a growing literature pertaining to intermarriage and the raising of bilingual children. However, such studies have typically adopted the perspective of the mother living as a cultural minority. In contrast, the experience of men in mixed marriage remains largely unclear. This paper, through a review of relevant interrelated literature from the areas of family studies, sociolinguistics, and bilingualism studies, will highlight gaps in current knowledge. The paper will then suggest an approach that future studies might adopt in order to better understand the bilingual childrearing process in intermarried families from the perspective of men living as cultural and linguistic minorities