Language choice and identity construction in peer interactions: Insights from a multilingual university in Hong Kong

Language choice and identity construction in peer interactions: Insights from a multilingual university in Hong Kong

• Gu, Mingyue Research Centre into Language Education and Acquisition in Multilingual Societies, Hong Kong Institute of Education

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 32(1), 17-31, 2011

Routledge

2011

• P Social Context of Education
  • PC Society & Education
• F Learning & Teaching
  • FE Medium of Instruction, Language of Teaching, Bi-& Multilingual Education, Problems of Bilingualism, Code-mixing & Code-switching
• N Students & Student Services
  • NC Charactieristics & Conditions of Students; Opinion & Attitudes of Students, Problems of Adjustment

Language Usage Multilingualism Group Dynamics Self Concept English (Second Language) Student Attitudes Cultural Background Interviews Asians Language Role Cultural Context College Students Sino Tibetan Languages Mandarin Chinese Second Language Learning Higher Education

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Post-Secondary Education

Informed by linguistic ecological theory and the notion of identity, this study investigates language uses and identity construction in interactions among students with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds in a multilingual university. Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with two groups of students: Hong Kong (HK) and mainland Chinese students. The findings indicate that, while different languages position their speakers in different symbolic spaces, language users employ a variety of languages for different identification purposes, and exercise symbolic power in various ways in order to be heard and respected. It is also found that language often plays a substantial role in achieving a sense of intimacy among group members and that the huge inherent differences, despite the umbrella of 'unity' between HK and mainland China, lead to a mutual non-identification between HK and mainland students. The study extends understandings of the interconnected relations of languages and context.
[Copyright of Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2010.532876]

• English

Journal Articles

• 01434632

• 10.1080/01434632.2010.532876

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/8b29bb84

2011-06-10