Social and Affective Domain in Home Language Development and Maintenance Research (Volume III)

Building on the foundations established in Volume I and Volume II, Volume III of Social and Affective Domain in Home Language Development and Maintenance Research seeks to advance the field by addressing emerging transformations in multilingual life in the 2020s. While earlier volumes have provided important theoretical and empirical insights into the social and affective dimensions of home language practices, Volume III places particular emphasis on new global conditions shaping multilingualism, including digitalization, increased transnational mobility, forced migration, and evolving language ideologies.Multilingualism today is not only an increasingly widespread phenomenon but also a complex and dynamic social reality. Multilingual individuals, families, and communities cope with diverse linguistic resources across physical and digital spaces, often within contexts of superdiversity and intensified language contact. These conditions give rise to shifting patterns of language maintenance and language shift, influenced by both everyday practices and broader structural forces. Heritage language transmission is no longer confined to the home but is increasingly mediated by digital platforms, social networks, and emerging language technologies, including AI-driven tools. At the same time, home language practices are deeply embedded in the affective domain. Emotions such as pride, belonging, anxiety, or loss, as well as identity negotiations across generations, play a crucial role in shaping language choices and practices. Family language policy is increasingly understood as dynamic, implicit, and negotiated, reflecting the fluid and hybrid identities of multilingual speakers in contemporary societies.Importantly, home language development and maintenance cannot be understood in isolation from broader sociopolitical and technological ecosystems. State language policies, digital infrastructures, platform economies, and global power dynamics increasingly shape the conditions under which languages are maintained, transformed, or marginalized. Issues such as linguistic inequality, digital exclusion, and algorithmic bias raise new questions about language status, visibility, and access in the digital age.This Research Topic aims to bring together interdisciplinary contributions that explore the social, affective, technological, and structural dimensions of home language development and maintenance in diverse contexts. This collection particularly welcomes studies that engage with the following interconnected themes:Family practices and interaction• family language policy as dynamic and context-dependent practice, including implicit and negotiated strategies• translanguaging and fluid language use in multilingual households• intergenerational dynamics in language transmission, including the role of extended family membersSocial, affective, and identity dimensions• emotional and psychological aspects of multilingualism, including language-related affect, attachment, and linguistic insecurity• language ideologies, attitudes, and beliefs shaping individual and family language practices• identity construction in multilingual contexts, including hybrid, transnational, and fluid identities• emotional labor and decision-making in multilingual parentingDigital and technological contexts• digital multilingualism and the role of online environments, social media, and virtual communities• the impact of AI, big data, and algorithmic systems on language status, visibility, and use• the role of AI-driven tools and language technologies (e.g., translation applications, generative AI, language learning platforms) in shaping communication and language practices• media consumption and digital literacies in multilingual developmentSocietal and structural contexts• the impact of migration, forced displacement, and transnational mobility on language practices• educational contexts, including bilingual and multilingual education, and their relationship with home language use• perspectives of teachers, parents, and communities on language maintenance• state language policy, digital governance, and linguistic regulation in multilingual societies• linguistic hierarchies, inequalities, and power relations, including processes of marginalization and valorization of languages• digital linguistic sovereignty, technological colonialism, and algorithmic representation of languages, including unequal access to digital resources and infrastructures• the role of governmental, institutional, and community support in sustaining multilingualism• differences in language maintenance across urban and rural contextsEarly language development and social networks• early childhood language acquisition and parental strategies in multilingual settings• the role of social networks and community organizations in supporting language maintenance.This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive and forward-looking exploration of how multilingual individuals, families, and communities manage language development and maintenance under rapidly changing global conditions. By foregrounding the interplay of social, affective, technological, and political factors, Volume III seeks to generate new theoretical perspectives and empirical insights into the processes that sustain or hinder multilingualism across generations. In particular, this Research Topic highlights that home language practices are increasingly shaped by global technological infrastructures, digital inequalities, and emerging forms of linguistic governance, offering new directions for research at the intersection of multilingualism, society, and technology. We welcome contributions from diverse methodological and disciplinary perspectives that deepen our understanding of language practices in an increasingly interconnected and digitally mediated world. Topic editors: Anastassia Zabrodskaja Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79690/social-and-affective-domain-in-home-language-development-and-maintenance-research-volume-iii