Parent and child perspectives on Greek language education in Australia

The Greek community in Australia has been noted for its success in resisting language loss. Most school-age children in the Greek Australian community are now members of the third generation and increasingly vulnerable to language loss. Maintenance of Greek among this group depends on the commitment of parents and children and on the availability of effective language instruction. A survey conducted in a Greek Orthodox school in Melbourne finds that while the parent and child cohorts share an overt commitment to the language, differences emerge in their views of the way it is taught. In particular the student cohort appear to experience some conflict between language loyalty and their daily experience of learning the language.