Mothers, grandmothers, and English at home: family language policy in urban India’s Hindi-dominant households

Abstract

Family language policy (FLP) in India remains an underexplored area, even though the country’s linguistic diversity, extensive internal migration, multilingual households, joint family structures, and gendered dynamics offer a compelling site for exploring language ideologies and practices at home. This study seeks to address these gaps by examining FLP in urban, Hindi-dominant households in India, with a particular focus on the role and positioning of English. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with mothers (n14) and grandmothers (n5) from 19 families, supplemented by participatory observation of everyday family interactions, this study applies Spolsky’s (2004, Language policy. Cambridge University Press) tripartite framework of language ideology, practices, and management, as well as Curdt-Christiansen et al.’s (2023) model of Pride, Prejudice, and Pragmatism. Findings reveal that negative experiences with regional medium schooling and missed opportunities linked to limited English proficiency drive a strong preference for English immersion at home. Families maintain additive bilingualism with Hindi as an emotional cultural anchor (pride), and English as a tool for mobility (pragmatism), which often leads to the devaluation of regional languages (prejudice). This research contributes to emerging discussions on English and regional languages in plurilingual societies, offering insights into how language hierarchies are reinforced or subtly resisted within the intimate space of the home. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.