2024

Vorobeva, Polina; Palviainen, Åsa

The current study explores the tensions and contradictions in two divorced Russian-speaking families in Finland in relation to heritage language learning (HLL) and contributes to the current development in family language policy (FLP) at the intersection of changing family forms and FLP. Nexus analysis was applied to examine the discursive tensions that arose from the nexus of HLL, education, and the family. The analysis revealed that in one of the families, tensions arise at the interpersonal level and regarding the status of the heritage language (HL) class in the National Core Curriculum. The nexus analysis of the other family demonstrated a more complex picture, where the legal discourse represented by the court emerged as important in shaping the process of HLL in the family. These findings highlight the intersection of changing family constellations and the non-official status of the HL class which may hinder opportunities for minority language maintenance and support.