Home language use: a case study of a mother and her daughter

This capstone is a study of the language dynamics between a mother and her daughter in a family where Polish is the home language and English is the dominant language in the community. This research examines what factors affect the mother\u27s and daughter\u27s attitudes and practices regarding home language maintenance over a year. A key influence for this capstone is Lily Wong Fillmore (1991 and 2000), who has discussed the negative consequences of children losing their home languages. This researcher collected data by interviewing the mother and daughter and collecting audio-recordings of home language interactions. The data showed that over a period of one year, the daughter\u27s preference for English continues to grow and her use of Polish continues to lessen. The main factors affecting home language use are the priority the family places on English and the value they still give to Polish