A Study on Chinese Heritage Language Transmission Among Ethnic Chinese Children in Debrecen, Hungary

Abstract

This study investigates the Chinese heritage language transmission practices and identity construction among ethnic Chinese children in Debrecen, Hungary, an emerging industrial immigrant community. Drawing on questionnaire surveys (children n=9, parents n=11) and in-depth interviews with three typical families, the research systematically examines their language reality. Findings reveal that Chinese families predominantly adopt functionally mixed language strategies, leading to a narrowed domain of Chinese language use and significantly lagging literacy skills due to the lack of systematic support. While parental expectations remain high and exhibit a strong ‘native-speaker obsession,’ the gap between idealized linguistic identity and actual proficiency creates internal psychological tension for the children. Crucially, however, the erosion of language proficiency does not translate into an equivalent loss of cultural identity; most children independently maintain a sense of cultural belonging through non-linguistic pathways such as family rituals and festivals. Based on these findings, this paper argues that heritage language education for Chinese children in Central and Eastern Europe should shift from a ‘native-speaker standard’ to an ‘emotional and functional orientation,’ utilizing ‘Translanguaging’ pedagogies to activate intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, it calls for the establishment of a collaborative ‘family-school-community’ support network—leveraging local Confucius Institute initiatives (e.g., the ‘OTT-HOME’ community program) and locally-based Chinese enterprises—to fill the institutional gaps in the regional Chinese language education ecosystem.