• ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
    • Frequency: Quarterly
    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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HOME > Archives > 2026 > Volume 12 Number 2 (2026) >
IJLLL 2026 Vol.12(2): 173-178
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2026.12.2.652

Parental Attitudes and Chinese Language Maintenance in Singapore

Li Li
Singapore Centre for Chinese Language, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Email: li.li@sccl.sg

Manuscript received December 28, 2025; accepted May 15, 2026; published June 24, 2026

Abstract—In a multilingual society like Singapore, where English is the dominant medium of instruction, the maintenance of Chinese Language (CL) often depends on family-level support. This study investigates parental attitudes toward their children’s CL learning in Singapore, with a focus on two groups: immigrant parents who primarily use Chinese at home, and local Chinese Singaporean parents who predominantly use English. Drawing on the exploratory survey data from both groups, the study examines patterns in parental attitudes toward children’s CL learning, satisfaction with children’s CL proficiency, reported investment in children’s learning of CL, and their opinions on the bilingual environment in the community.  Findings showed that the two groups differ in their attitudes to children’s CL learning, their satisfaction with their children’s CL proficiency, and in their levels of both behavioral and emotional support of children’s CL learning, despite their similar views on the bilingual environment in the community. These findings are interpreted through the framework of language ideology and investment, which highlights how belief systems and self-perceptions affect parental behavior. The study contributes to the understanding of language maintenance at the family level in bilingual contexts and underscores the need for educational approaches that empower all parents, regardless of their proficiency, to support language maintenance.
 
Keywords—Chinese language maintenance, parental attitudes, language ideology, language investment, Bilingualism in Singapore

Cite: Li Li, "Parental Attitudes and Chinese Language Maintenance in Singapore ," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 173-178, 2026.

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).


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