Affordances of code-switching in Polish–Australian families: An exploration of language ideologies, practices and management.

This article examines the code-switching (CS) practices within Polish-speaking transnational families residing in Australia, focusing on how these practices relate to heritage language (HL) maintenance, language ideologies, and family language management. Using a tripartite Family Language Policy framework, the study employed mixed qualitative methods—including online questionnaires, interviews, and observations—among Polish–Australian families in Melbourne. Findings reveal that while most parents view CS as a natural and beneficial bilingual communication strategy, their language management approaches vary from strict language separation to flexible tolerance of CS, with extracurricular activities like Saturday schools playing a key role in supporting Polish language retention. The research highlights the dynamic and context-dependent nature of bilingualism in these families and underscores the importance of exposure and parental attitudes in sustaining the Polish heritage language amid dominant English influence.