Non-native bilingualism as a family language policy

Non-native bilingualism (NNB), in which parents raise their children in a language that is neither their L1 nor the societal language, is a growing family language policy. Although still underexplored, research on NNB is more extensive than is often recognised. Many relevant studies remain little known, and families frequently implement NNB largely on the basis of intuition, with limited access to research-based guidance or testimonies from families with prior experience. To map, analyse and summarise existing knowledge, a systematised literature review was conducted using academic databases and backward citation tracking. Fifty-nine works were identified: forty-six studies and thirteen manuals, spanning fourteen countries. The studies agree that NNB is shaped by parental agency, child engagement and societal context, yet challenged by schooling and social pressures. Successful cases often yield high bilingual proficiency, though societal-language dominance generally prevails. Effective management, meaningful interaction and supportive contexts are key. Nonetheless, significant research gaps remain, particularly concerning children’s perspectives and long-term linguistic outcomes. Furthermore, most studies rely on direct observation and interviews, underscoring the need for more sophisticated linguistic analyses and more robust research designs. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .