In this article, I argue that one social theory that could help us better understand the interaction between social structure and human agency in the context of family language policy (FLP) research is realist social theory. FLP studies in multilingual contexts have shown that home often becomes a site where dominant societal ideologies and discourses of structuring nature compete with individual views and agency, ultimately informing language behavior. Realist social theory advocates the analytical separation of structure and agency and attributes causal powers to both social structures and individual agency. This conceptualization of structure and agency prevents us from falling into structural determinism or individual voluntarism. Through examining the linguistic ideologies and practices of thirteen mothers of young children in Tabriz, Iran, I illustrate how family language policy emerges in interaction with and response to structural powers. (Family language policy, realist social theory, Iranian Azerbaijanis, agency, social structures, language maintenance)

中文翻译：

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通过现实主义社会理论审视家庭语言政策

在本文中，我认为在家庭语言政策（FLP）研究的背景下，可以帮助我们更好地理解社会结构和人类能动性之间相互作用的一种社会理论是现实主义社会理论。多语言环境中的 FLP 研究表明，家庭经常成为主导社会意识形态和构建自然的话语与个人观点和机构竞争的场所，最终影响语言行为。现实主义社会理论主张结构和代理的分析分离，并将因果力量归因于社会结构和个人代理。这种结构和代理的概念化防止我们陷入结构决定论或个人自愿主义。通过研究伊朗大不里士的 13 名幼儿母亲的语言意识形态和实践，我说明了家庭语言政策是如何在与结构性权力的互动和回应中出现的。（家庭语言政策、现实主义社会理论、伊朗阿塞拜疆人、机构、社会结构、语言维护）