Values and choices of exogamous couples

¢ What sense of belonging to each community would we like our children to have?

¢@ Which linguistic and cultural identity would we like our children to adopt?

Your answers reflect your values with respect to bilingualism and biculturalism. These values fundamentally influence your choices and decisions about language and culture in your home—that is, the linguistic and cultural environment you want to create and live in. They will also affect your choice of preschool services (such as daycare and nursery school) and schooling for your children.

If you and your spouse feel that both French and English have considerable value, and if you embrace both francophone and anglophone culture, you will likely want your children to acquire what we call balanced additive bilingualism.

Balanced additive bilingualism

Balanced additive bilingualism, as it applies to children of francophone-anglophone couples, means that the children are highly proficient in English and French, possess a strong sense of belonging to both the francophone and anglophone communities, enjoy a strong bicultural identity, display a positive attitude toward francophone and anglophone culture, and give equal social status to both languages.

Parents who opt for balanced additive bilingualism want their children to: ¢ know the mother tongues of both parents (English and French) very well; have a strong sense of belonging to, and a desire to be part of, both the francophone and anglophone communities; appreciate the richness of francophone and anglophone culture; ¢ be very proficient in English and French, and maintain these language skills throughout their lives; ¢ be able to attend college or university in French or in English; and « be able to find employment requiring English and/or French language skills.

But what can exogamous couples living in a predominantly anglophone environment do to ensure their children learn two languages and feel they belong to two cultures—in other

16

Iufo-Parents

words, acquire balanced additive bilingualism? Research shows that three environments contribute to the development of balanced bilingualism and biculturalism in a minority francophone setting. What are these environments, and what role can each play in developing balanced additive bilingualism?

The influence of three environments on the development of balanced additive bilingualism

é

Children’s linguistic and cultural development is shaped by their learning and life experiences in three environments: the family, the school, and the social and institutional milieu.

Research shows that in a predominantly anglophone setting, exogamous couples who want their children to develop balanced additive bilingualism must base their actions on the following fundamental principle: emphasizing the weaker or more fragile language in the region—in other words, French—will ensure their children develop balanced additive bilingualism.

Each environment plays a specific, complementary role that contributes to the goal of developing balanced additive bilingualism. Let’s first look at the role of the social and institutional milieu.

Francophone school

In a majority anglophone setting, the francophone school plays an essential role in developing balanced additive bilingualism, and it’s important for parents to understand this role.

French first-language education is designed for students who have francophone roots and who, if they come from exogamous families, may have more than one first language (for example, French and English). Only francophone schools provide an almost completely French-speaking institutional sphere. Instruction takes place entirely in French from