Family Language Policy in Multilingual Families in Lahore: An Application of Spolsky’s Model

Abstract

The aim of the article is to investigate family language policy (FLP) within the multilingual context of Lahore, Pakistan. This article highlights the FLPs of these families while considering their language practices and ideologies by applying the language policy model presented by Bernard Spolsky. This article draws on the qualitative method. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with twelve parents. Findings from this article suggest that parents constantly make decisions to choose and speak certain languages depending on the situation they are in, who they are communicating with, and where they are communicating. Additionally, to maintain their home and heritage language, they make efforts to use them with their family and the elder members of the family, respectively. However, they subconsciously give more priority to the home language and L2 as opposed to the heritage language. It is recommended that future studies explore the impact of these family language choices on children's long-term bilingual development and cultural identity