Language maintenance in the family to maintain family harmony: A case study of mixed marriages between Sundanese women and French men

Abstract

This research aims to scrutinize the use of language in intermarried families between Sundanese women and French men living in France. Using ethnographic research with a qualitative and descriptive methodology, the data in this study were gathered via observations, interviews with informants, and written sources in the form of notes from the French embassy in Indonesia. The purpose was to collect information regarding languages used in their families. The results of this study reveal that the families of Sundanese-French couples living in France practice multilingual interactions in their family. They use French, English, Indonesian, and Sundanese languages as a medium for family communication. The use of each language varies according to its functions. In these families, the children understand Indonesian and a little bit of Sundanese, but they prefer to speak French or English. After growing up, their inner attachment to their mothers led them to look for their cousins in Indonesia.