ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book interrogates multilingualism as an evolving phenomenon at landmarks in individuals', families', and communities' lives. It focuses on the methodological and theoretical advances that have emerged over the last couple of decades. The book is devoted to language policies and practices in the family, and King and Curdt-Christiansen open this part with their perspective on family language policy, with particular reference to the influence of Lanza's work on three projects: one on language socialisation in Malay and Chinese households in Singapore; a second on Chinese families in the UK; and the third on Latino families' understanding of immigration and deportation policies in the USA. It provides a close analytical reading of two instances of storytelling involving at least one Persons with Dementia, identifying well-intended but ultimately disruptive practices by participants in the two settings.
