Between heritage language maintenance and intercultural accommodation: family language practices among Ethiopian migrant families in Sweden

Drawing on a recontextualised Communication Accommodation Theory, the African Communication Accommodation Paradigm (ACAP), this study examines the multilingual interactions and family language practices among Ethiopian migrant families in Sweden. Data were collected through body mapping and space-mapping activities, post-mapping narration, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. The analysis shows that language choice and communication adjustments are shaped by the interplay between heritage language maintenance, parental care, language proficiency asymmetries, language racialisation, sociocultural norms, and pragmatic considerations. The findings demonstrate that communication accommodation extends beyond interpersonal adaptations, reflecting the enduring influence of colonial language ideologies and culturally embedded norms on multilingual family interactions.