Not Just Duolingo: Supporting Immigrant Language Preservation Through Family-Based Play

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Ciuba, Alejandro, Li, Zheng YY, Gautam, Aakash
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Ciuba, Alejandro
Li, Zheng YY
Gautam, Aakash
author_facet Ciuba, Alejandro
Li, Zheng YY
Gautam, Aakash
contents For immigrants, language preservation is crucial to maintain their identity, but the process of immigration can put a strain on a community's ability to do so. We interviewed eight Nepali immigrants to understand barriers to language preservation across sociopolitical contexts in Nepal and immigrant life in the United States. Participants described strong motivation but limited institutional support, time and resource constraints, and English-dominant environments that widen parent-child language gaps. They envisioned technology that supports interactive, family centered learning. In response, we are developing an audio-first, point-and-click language learning game based on the theory of comprehensible input, designed for parent-child co-playing. An early evaluation with four design experts reveals promising gameplay, and the need to simplify symbol-heavy UI. We conclude with implications for designing language technologies that support preservation through relations while acknowledging the limits of design.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_00282
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Not Just Duolingo: Supporting Immigrant Language Preservation Through Family-Based Play
Ciuba, Alejandro
Li, Zheng YY
Gautam, Aakash
Human-Computer Interaction
For immigrants, language preservation is crucial to maintain their identity, but the process of immigration can put a strain on a community's ability to do so. We interviewed eight Nepali immigrants to understand barriers to language preservation across sociopolitical contexts in Nepal and immigrant life in the United States. Participants described strong motivation but limited institutional support, time and resource constraints, and English-dominant environments that widen parent-child language gaps. They envisioned technology that supports interactive, family centered learning. In response, we are developing an audio-first, point-and-click language learning game based on the theory of comprehensible input, designed for parent-child co-playing. An early evaluation with four design experts reveals promising gameplay, and the need to simplify symbol-heavy UI. We conclude with implications for designing language technologies that support preservation through relations while acknowledging the limits of design.
title Not Just Duolingo: Supporting Immigrant Language Preservation Through Family-Based Play
topic Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.00282