Language Use and Identity Construction of an Adolescent Chinese Immigrant

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: (Re)Imagining Language, Identity, and Belonging Across Transnational Contexts

Abstract

This ethnographic case study explores the language practices and identity construction of a 12-year-old Chinese immigrant boy navigating daily life in the U.S. Drawing on sociolinguistic and sociocultural frameworks, the study investigates how Ben (pseudonym) uses language across informal contexts to negotiate belonging while facing an uncertain transnational future. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews, and artifacts over three months. Findings show that Ben’s translanguaging reflects not only linguistic flexibility but also deep cultural investment. His strong affiliation with Mandarin and Chinese cultural narratives offers insight into how immigrant youth affirm identity amid transition. This study contributes to research on immigrant adolescents by highlighting informal literacy practices and cultural continuity as resources for identity development in uncertain migratory contexts.

Author

• Yuhan Gao, The Ohio State University