The influence of social and social psychological factors on the intergenerational transmission of Welsh

Previous research has shown that the intergenerational transmission of Welsh is more likely when (1) both parents speak the language, (2) they use it regularly with their extended social networks (Gathercole et al. 2007) or (3) when both parents are supportive of bilingualism (Jones and Morris 2007). Little is known, however, about the extent to which parents consciously decide to use Welsh with their children and the factors which influence this decision. This paper aims to examine both social and social psychological factors on the decision to transmit Welsh in the home. Specifically, we address the following research questions: RQ1. To what extent do social factors influence the decision to transmit Welsh? RQ2. Can the decision to transmit Welsh be explained by behavioural approaches? RQ3. To what extent is transmission Welsh a subconscious decision or intentional behaviour? Data were collected from 60 families containing at least one Welsh-speaking parent in North West and South East Wales. A quantitative questionnaire was given to both caregivers (where possible). This elicited background information and contained questions designed to elicit data on behavioural aspects of transmission (Ajzen 1991). The questionnaire was followed by a semi-structured interview which elicited narrative data on the extent to which transmission has been a conscious decision and the factors which have influenced language use in the home. We will firstly present the results of statistical analyses of the quantitative data to show the extent to which both social and behavioural factors are predictors of parents’ decision to transmit Welsh in the home (RQ1, RQ2). We will then present the results of a thematic analysis of the qualitative data in order to discuss how parents negotiate raising bilingual children (RQ3). The results will be discussed in the context of Welsh-English bilingualism and Family Language Policy (e.g. King et al. 2008)