Dr Awal presents Bengali heritage language study at NYCAS

Bangladeshi researcher Dr Abdul Awal of the University of Warsaw presented a study on preserving Bengali as a heritage language among Bangladeshi diaspora families at the 2026 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) held on October 23-24.

The two-day conference took place at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, according to a press release.

Awal presented his paper, “Digital Practices and the Maintenance of Bengali as a Heritage Language among Bangladeshi Diaspora Families in New York,” during the “Migration & Diaspora” session.

The study examines how families use digital media to pass Bengali on to younger generations growing up in an English-dominated environment. It focuses on children whose schooling, friendships and daily activities offer limited opportunities to use Bengali.

Grandparents play a central role in the research. Through video calls, storytelling and shared digital activities, they create opportunities for grandchildren to hear and speak Bengali while maintaining connections with their family’s cultural heritage.

Bengali songs, cartoons and online cultural and religious content also provide informal opportunities for language learning and use.

Awal is a faculty member at the Chair of South Asian Studies within the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures at the University of Warsaw, Poland. His teaching and research interests include sociolinguistics, the Bengali language and Bangladesh studies.

His wider research addresses language practices within Bangladeshi diaspora communities. His article, “Family language policy among Bangladeshi immigrants in New York,” published online in the International Journal of Bilingualism in March 2026, examined parents’ and children’s language preferences and the challenges of maintaining Bengali across generations.