Intergenerational Language Transmission in Joint Families in Rural Kerala

Malini Krishnan

Independent Researcher

Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract
Intergenerational language transmission within joint families in rural Kerala represents a vital nexus where linguistic heritage, cultural identity, and social cohesion intersect. This study examines the multifaceted processes through which Malayalam is conveyed from grandparents to grandchildren within multigenerational households in two panchayats of the Malabar region. Through a mixed-methods approach encompassing semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and detailed language-use diaries, we trace the pathways of language learning across domains such as ritual performance, storytelling, domestic routines, and leisure interactions. Findings reveal that grandparents—positioned as cultural repositories—employ narrative strategies, proverbs, and ritual registers to inculcate core Malayali values and linguistic competence. Parents, balancing aspirations for socioeconomic mobility, enact hybrid language practices that blend Malayalam with English or urban Malayalam variants, thereby shaping children’s metalinguistic awareness and code-mixing tendencies. While children demonstrate receptive proficiency in heritage registers, their expressive repertoire exhibits increasing adoption of loanwords and syntactic calques, particularly in educational and digital contexts. This dynamic underscores both the resilience and vulnerability of rural language ecologies amid accelerating globalization. Policy implications include the integration of community-based heritage language initiatives, intergenerational storytelling programs, and digital platforms tailored to reinforce traditional speech forms. Concluding, the study advocates for longitudinal research into the interplay of family language policies and emerging media to safeguard Malayalam’s vitality in Kerala’s evolving rural landscapes.

Keywords
Intergenerational Transmission, Joint Families, Rural Kerala, Malayalam, Language Socialization

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