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Discourses of Language Endangerment and Maintenance Among Young Bi/Plurilingual Speakers of a Francophone Minority School in Vancouver.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Discourses of Language Endangerment and Maintenance Among Young Bi/Plurilingual Speakers of a Francophone Minority School in Vancouver.
Authors: Bouchard, Marie-Eve1 (AUTHOR) me.bouchard@ubc.ca
Source: Journal of Language, Identity & Education. Jul/Aug2026, Vol. 25 Issue 4, p1190-1206. 17p.
Subject Terms: *Language maintenance, *Bilingualism, *Linguistics education, *Attitudes toward language, Endangered languages, Linguistic identity, French-speaking people
Geographic Terms: Vancouver (B.C.)
Abstract: This article examines the ways that discourses of endangerment and maintenance have been taken up among young bi/plurilingual speakers who attend a French-language high school in Vancouver. It is based on interviews conducted with 31 grade-11 students (16–17 years old). A thematic analysis of the data revealed two main contrasting discourses among students: one in which French is perceived as being threatened by English (a discourse of endangerment) and one in which French is valued as linguistic capital and viewed as a component of their identities (a discourse of maintenance). These dominant discourses are comprised of five different themes. The findings suggest that these young Vancouverites have internalised common discourses about the endangerment of French, but that they are also mobilising new discourses of maintenance that involve different ideologies about the continuing use of French within the community, which calls for a redefinition of what it means to be a French-speaker in Vancouver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:This article examines the ways that discourses of endangerment and maintenance have been taken up among young bi/plurilingual speakers who attend a French-language high school in Vancouver. It is based on interviews conducted with 31 grade-11 students (16–17 years old). A thematic analysis of the data revealed two main contrasting discourses among students: one in which French is perceived as being threatened by English (a discourse of endangerment) and one in which French is valued as linguistic capital and viewed as a component of their identities (a discourse of maintenance). These dominant discourses are comprised of five different themes. The findings suggest that these young Vancouverites have internalised common discourses about the endangerment of French, but that they are also mobilising new discourses of maintenance that involve different ideologies about the continuing use of French within the community, which calls for a redefinition of what it means to be a French-speaker in Vancouver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:15348458
DOI:10.1080/15348458.2025.2469086