Despite the growing recognition of home agency in language decision-making processes and a growing body of research on language dynamics within households in the past two decades, there is a dearth of research in an under-researched area, namely Family Language Policymaking in modern Iran. This qualitative study seeks to underscore the role of Family Language Policy (FLP) in the two largest non-Farsi languages in three provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan. Moving beyond Spolsky’s three-component model this study localizes a comprehensive FLP model and explores how various, multi-layered internal/external factors affect the maintenance or shift of Iranian non-Farsi languages within a highly monolingual Only-Farsi context. For this purpose, 24 families from the provinces were interviewed about their perceptions, the status of their heritage languages, and how top-down language policies are perceived in modern Iran. This study suggests that there is a significant gap between familial language practices and state policy. This state-community gap has resulted in various national consequences, including deeper ethnic dissatisfaction, isolation, social injustice, increased usual psychological anxiety, educational barriers for non-Farsi pupils, and a gradual heritage language loss. The data reveals substantial challenges to the vitality of the two largest non-Farsi languages in the country, indicating a noticeable linguistic shift among families, particularly in newer generations. The study also reveals an influential role of religion on FLP and indicates that religious affiliations, whether by individuals or governments, affect linguistic preferences to a great extent. This is the first study to the date in Iran to localize a model fitting its target communities and further exploring FLPs in the two largest non-Farsi languages to provide a comprehensive overview with regard to the state’s monolingual standing.
