Project Dates: 2021-2024
Funding: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant
Problem: In Tibetan-Canadian families, some children are growing up with limited exposure to their Tibetan heritage language. At meal times, however, parents and children link the Tibetan language to valued forms of cultural knowledge.
Research Process: I collected 22 hours of video ethnography in family homes, which included meal-time interactions. I transcribed and analyzed talk using conversation analysis and discourse analysis. I coded data according to content, language choice, and turn-taking behaviours. I found that young children used turn-taking behaviours, including what are termed “repairs,” to actively claim knowledge of the Tibetan language. This finding demonstrates that cultural practices surrounding food provided an anchor for children to elaborate their knowledge of the heritage language.
Deliverables and Impact: This research suggests the importance of fostering heritage language use through cultural practices related to food. Results were published in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development.
Shannon M. Ward, Ph.D. 