‘I don’t like them to know I’m Syrian’: family language policy amongst Syrian refugees in Türkiye

• Vafaibaaj, Saad Alyamam ^[5] ; Jesry, Maher ^[1] ; Ateek, Mohammed ^[2] ; Heron, Marion ^[3] ; Wazzan, Muhammed Musaab ^[4] ; Shaar, Adavie ^[6] ; Müezzin, Ahmet Derviş ^[1]
  1. [1] Ondokuz Mayıs University

     Ondokuz Mayıs University

     Turquía

     
  2. [2] University of Leicester

     University of Leicester

     GB.ENG.H4.31UC, Reino Unido

     
  3. [3] University of Surrey

     University of Surrey

     Guildford District, Reino Unido

     
  4. [4] Anadolu University

     Anadolu University

     Turquía

     
  5. [5] Sakarya University of Applied Sciences
  6. [6] Department of Education, Mersin

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• Localización: International journal of multilingualism, ISSN 1479-0718, Vol. 23, Nº. 3, 2026, págs. 1975-1996
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/14790718.2025.2575892
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This study investigates an emerging area of inquiry: refugee family language policy (FLP), through examining the practices, management and ideologies of FLP among Syrian refugee families in Türkiye. It also examines the multilingualism of the children and their parents’ attitudes towards languages, focusing on heritage language maintenance (HLM). The study aims to understand how Syrian refugee families in Türkiye construct, negotiate and implement their FLP. Applying a qualitative approach, the study employed semi-structured interviews with ten families and language portraits coloured by seven children. Language portraits were used as a tool to make children’s multilingualism visible by using colours to present their linguistic repertoire. Thematic analysis using a coding scheme was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed different views by parents and children about language practices, management and ideologies.

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