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Identity and languages

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lightbulbAbout this topic
Identity and languages is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines the relationship between language use and individual or group identity formation. It explores how language influences self-perception, social belonging, and cultural representation, as well as how identities shape language practices and choices in various social contexts.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Identity and languages is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines the relationship between language use and individual or group identity formation. It explores how language influences self-perception, social belonging, and cultural representation, as well as how identities shape language practices and choices in various social contexts.

Key research themes

1. How does language learning intersect with multilayered and shifting identities in social and educational contexts?

This research strand explores the complex, fluid, and dynamic nature of identity as it relates to language acquisition and use, particularly emphasizing how language learners negotiate multiple and sometimes conflicting identities. It transcends cognitive models to focus on social, cultural, and political forces impacting learners' sense of self in multilingual and postcolonial educational settings. Understanding these processes is critical for language teaching practices that support learner agency and meaningful identity negotiation rather than assimilation or identity loss.

Key finding: Norton & Toohey (2016) articulate that language learning is deeply intertwined with identity, promoting the sociological construct of 'investment' as a dynamic complement to motivation. They highlight that learners'... Read more
Key finding: This review synthesizes poststructuralist views that reject fixed, unitary notions of identity, instead framing learner identities as multiple, shifting, and socially constructed through language and discourse. It emphasizes... Read more
Key finding: This chapter provides a methodological overview showing that contemporary identity research in language education predominantly uses qualitative methods such as narrative inquiry and ethnography underpinned by... Read more
Key finding: This study at a South African university demonstrates empirically that language proficiency and discourse practices are key components of identity affecting acculturation and integration into academic life. It shows identity... Read more
Key finding: Focusing on immigrant learners in the United States, this research identifies 'belonging' and the need to 'fit in' as central motivations for language learning, leading to linguistic identity shifts often involving L1... Read more

2. How are multilingual and cultural identities expressed, represented, and negotiated in educational settings through innovative methodologies?

This theme focuses on methodological innovations to capture how multilingual students express and negotiate their diverse linguistic and cultural identities. Visual and narrative tools like language portraits reveal how learners conceptualize and emotionally attach meanings to multiple languages within their repertoires. These methods provide critical insights for educators to understand students' multilingual identities beyond proficiency measures, highlighting the role of culture, affect, and socio-political contexts in language identity formation. This research area supports culturally sustaining pedagogies and multilingual education policies.

Key finding: Using language portraits and semi-structured interviews with migrant primary school children in Greece, this study finds that students attribute specific colors symbolically linked to flags, emotions, and bodily functions to... Read more

3. Why is linguistic identity fundamental in language preservation and sociopolitical justice regarding endangered languages?

This theme addresses how linguistic identity underpins the imperative to preserve endangered languages, emphasizing language as central to personal and collective identity and integral to cultural diversity. It includes sociopolitical and ethical considerations regarding language rights, official multilingualism, and the intersectionality of language with social justice. Research in this area informs policy and advocacy efforts aimed at protecting linguistic diversity and sustaining cultural heritage amid globalization and language shift phenomena.

Key finding: This UNESCO-informed research highlights that language constitutes a core feature of individual and group identity that must be preserved amid global language endangerment. It categorizes thousands of languages worldwide into... Read more

All papers in Identity and languages

Cet article analyse la representation de la femme apprenante dans les ouvrages utilises pour l’apprentissage du francais aux Pays-Bas, en tenant compte des divers ecrits publies sur l’education feminine (XVIe-XIXe siecles). On degage les... more
El presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las evaluaciones sociales que los hablantes manifiestan sobre diferentes variedades de una misma lengua y sobre otras lenguas, a partir de dos abordajes distintos. Los corpora con los que... more
El presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las evaluaciones sociales que los hablantes manifiestan sobre diferentes variedades de una misma lengua y sobre otras lenguas, a partir de dos abordajes distintos. Los corpora con los que... more
Le français langue seconde, langue de la relation intime, de la relation à soi et à l'autre
Le français langue seconde, langue de la relation intime, de la relation à soi et à l'autre
A recent UNESCO report indicates that India has the largest number of endangered languages in the world. A matter of concern, besides the absolute numbers, is the distribution of these endangered languages across number of speakers. The... more
This introductory article gives an overview of the history and culture of intimacy in nineteenth-century art, architecture and literature, and discusses key theories and concepts. It explains how through a re-imagination of the... more
El presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las evaluaciones sociales que los hablantes manifiestan sobre diferentes variedades de una misma lengua y sobre otras lenguas, a partir de dos abordajes distintos. Los corpora con los que... more
Philippe Lejeune, spécialiste international de l'écriture autobiographique, enseigne au département de littérature de l'université Paris-Nord ; l'entretien, réalisé par Gabrielle Houbre et Florence Rochefort, s'est déroulé le 1er mars... more
Identity-Based: Language is not simply a tool for communication but is a central and defining feature of identity as all hu-man thoughts are conceptualised through a language and all human values are pro-nounced and perceived through it.... more
Durante la época colonial, la actual región del Noroeste de la Argentina conformó una de las zonas periféricas de la América Colonial (Slicher van Bath 1979). Alejada de los puntos centrales de la Colonia, cumplía dos funciones... more
Desembarcar en el Nuevo Mundo en 1492 significó para el español el inicio de una larga y compleja historia. Tras las distintas etapas de su expansión por el continente americano, desde fines del siglo XV hasta el siglo XVIII, el español... more
Desembarcar en el Nuevo Mundo en 1492 significó para el español el inicio de una larga y compleja historia. Tras las distintas etapas de su expansión por el continente americano, desde fines del siglo XV hasta el siglo XVIII, el español... more
by Luis Andrade and 
1 more
En el marco del debate sobre la “koineización inicial” del español de América, Germán de Granda propuso en los años noventa una zonificación histórica de las variedades hispanoamericanas que distinguía entre zonas “centrales”,... more
Encuentro ITINERARIOS Y RUTAS CULTURALES. Vías de comunicación e intercambio de experiencias, bienes y costumbres. El patrimonio desde una mirada integral. Buenos Aires, 21 y 22 de Abril de 2005. Según estimaciones recientes... more
En la actualidad, no podemos obviar la existencia de un español con rasgos indígenas en Hispanoamérica. En particular, en Argentina encontramos el denominado Español andino en el noroeste del país, donde el quechua entra en contacto con... more
During the Ancien Régime but also in nineteenth-century Europe, the French language, which occupied a special position in international commerce and diplomacy, develops increasingly into the language of culture and education. The language... more
Identity-Based: Language is not simply a tool for communication but is a central and defining feature of identity as all hu-man thoughts are conceptualised through a language and all human values are pro-nounced and perceived through it.... more
El quechua es una lengua indígena que en la actualidad es hablada por entre siete (Torero 1983: 61) y doce millones y medio de personas (Fabre, 2005). La familia quechua pertenece a la rama quechuamarán del tronco andino-ecuatorial. Era... more
Para entender la situación actual de las lenguas precolombinas en Argentina, habría que explicar que, a pesar de la estructura supuestamente federal del estado, la toma de decisiones parte del poder central y el espacio físico de ese... more
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