• ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
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    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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HOME > Archives > 2025 > Volume 11 Number 4 (2025) >
IJLLL 2025 Vol.11(4): 163-170
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2025.11.4.593

The Power of Words: Family Language Politics and Hierarchies in Multilingual Households: A Cinematic Insight from Anatomy of a Fall

Jiayang He
Film Academy, Sichuan University of Media and Communications, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Email: 643559311@qq.com (J.Y.H.)

Manuscript received December 13, 2024; accepted March 15, 2025; published July 30, 2025.

Abstract—Globalization increases cultural contact, which provides avenues for the exploration of intercultural communication but on the same note brings about intercultural tension and complications concerning multilingualism in family language policy. Such family language policy studies typically concentrate on children’s language acquisition, cultural identity, and language choices, as well as intergenerational interactions, Power relations within the family, for example, have been understudied. This study focuses on the movie, Anatomy of a Fall about a multilingual family and, through analyzing the use of language, aims to show interactions between different cultures and where power lies. Altogether, the research evidence shows that language and communication problems exist and influence the relationship between various entities and power relations. This is because family members from different linguistic backgrounds are bound to have different social roles that may differ in some ways from those of their spouses, co-tenants, employers, employees, etc. Superimposing family language policies on the conflicts of the movie enriches themes since it reveals multiple ways of affecting a family. Robert McKee speaks about narratives being powered by conflict; in a multilingual family, languages, and cultures as methods of communication form conflicts. Understanding the impact of the family language policies concerning the possible change of power dynamics enables resolutions of inter and intra-cultural conflicts between diverse and indigenous populations. Studying changes in the details of traditional gender roles and emerging Intercultural patterns helps to know coping mechanisms for a peaceful, cohesive, and cooperative world. This makes the adoption of dynamic modes of communication a framework that enhances cultural appreciation, understanding, tolerance, and respect thereby setting up new paradigms.

Keywords—family language policy, power dynamics in multilingual households, cultural conflict resolution

Cite: Jiayang He, "The Power of Words: Family Language Politics and Hierarchies in Multilingual Households: A Cinematic Insight from Anatomy of a Fall," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 163-170, 2025.

Copyright © 2025 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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