Language portraits in describing family language policy

How the activity setting shapes power dynamics

Bibliographic Data

ID19219166
AuthorsNanfei Wang (0000-0002-5555-7119, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, corresponding author), Noah Wang (0009-0003-3733-141X), Santiago Sánchez Moreano (0000-0002-8434-3726, Institute for Sustainable Development)
Year2026
Volume107
Pages56-68
Publication date2026-01-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage & Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0271-5309 • E-ISSN: 1873-3395
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.langcom.2026.01.001
OpenAlexW7125616478
LanguageEN
References cited18

This paper investigates language portraits (LPs) as a methodological tool for studying family language policy across contrasting settings: an indigenous multilingual school (Colombian Amazonia) and a Franco-Chinese transnational household (France). Analysing ethnolinguistic cornering and child agency , we examine how formal/informal contexts in our study shape researcher-child power dynamics. Data include child-created LPs and interviews. Findings reveal how different settings of LPs mediate researcher-participant power relations: In educational settings from our data, researcher framing legitimizes ethnolinguistic cornering , positioning children as subjects of analysis. In home contexts in this study, LPs transfer authority to children, amplifying children's agentive role. This study underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of the power relations between actors during the activity and the impact of the context to the activity. It provides unique insights into how these elements affect the methodological effectiveness of language portraits.

Dynamics (music) · Expressive power · Language acquisition · Language family · Portrait · Power (physics) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching