‘It’s the Chinese that I don’t understand’: non-transmission of dialects in Franco-Chinese families’ language planning in France ; 'C'est le chinois que je ne comprends pas': non-transmission des dialectes chinois dans les familles franco-chinoises en France

International audience ; This study examines family language policy concerning the transmission of Chinese dialects within four Franco-Chinese families living in France. Through an ethnographic design, data were collected through participant observations, recorded family conversations, and interviews with the family members. By exploring parents' social representations of dialect transmission, occasionally situated in the 'silent zone', this study illustrates that both Chinese mothers and French fathers perceive the transmission of Chinese dialects as a negligible concern when juxtaposed with the challenge of raising bilingual Franco-Putonghua children. Their language practices and management regarding Chinese dialect transmission are shaped by negative social representations, stemming from various factors, including Chinese and French national language policies, parents' educational and mobility experiences, and negative representations of dialects and dialect speakers. The social representations of dialect upheld by Chinese mothers are explicit, while those upheld by French fathers are often implicit, and situated in the 'silent zone'. By examining parents' explicit and 'silent zone' social representations of dialects in these families, this study underscores the broader influence exerted by national language policy in home countries on family language policy in diasporic settings and the travelling of linguistic social representations across contexts. ; Cette étude examine les politiques linguistiques familiales concernant la transmission des dialectes chinois au sein des familles franco-chinoises résidant en France. En s’appuyant sur l’analyse des représentations langagières vis-à-vis de cette transmission, parfois situées dans la « zone muette », cette recherche met en lumière une perception majoritairement défavorable de la transmission des dialectes, bien que sous des formes variées. Grâce à une approche ethnographique, les données ont été recueillies par le biais d’observations participantes, ...