The Effects of Ethnic Identity Formation on Bilingual Maintenance and Development: An Analysis of Asian American Narratives

Abstract

This study examines one stage of ethnic identity formation and its effects on attitudes toward the heritage language (HL) among a group of Americans of Asian descent in the US. Previous research suggests that Ethnic Ambivalence/Evasion is a period when ethnic minority individuals have little or no interest in their ethnic heritage, with some actively rejecting ethnic identification. This study examines published narratives of Americans of Asian descent to discover whether these feelings extend to the heritage language, and if so, how they affect language beliefs and behaviours. The results suggest that for many, the HL is closely associated with the ethnic group so that attitudes toward the ethnic group and its language speakers also extend to the narrators' own language ability and their interest (or lack of interest) in maintaining and developing their HL. The findings are discussed and implications for HL education are presented.

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