Hyphenated identities: Italian-Canadian youth and the negotiation of ethnic identities in Toronto

Abstract

This paper examines the way Italian-Canadian youth negotiate their identities through their language practices. Language and culture are the paths through which identity performance can be observed and interpreted. In fact, Ibrahim (1998,p.13) states that "not only identities are reflected in languages but also constructed in, through and within them. Language can be or is a political statement and is or can be a medium of identity performance. ”By viewing identity as multiple and shifting, I will show how eight Italian-Canadian youths in Toronto lean on different aspects of their identities through their daily linguistic and cultural practices across and within multiple “worlds” (i.e., Canadian, Italian-Canadian and Italian) and discourse sites. I examine the discourse around language, the linguistic interplay of codes and the discourse of representation within worlds and discourse sites in order to understand how participants negotiate their identities and positions.

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