L2 Identities in the Context of Globalization: Theoretical Models Revisited

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L2 Identities in the Context of Globalization
Theoretical Models Revisited

• GAO Yihong
• Peking University

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Traditional Views of L2 Learning and Identities

• Confined to interaction between identities of
  native culture and target culture
• Identity changes as result of such interactions

3
Major Theoretical Models of Bilingual Identities

• Subtractive bilingualism
• Additive bilingualism
• Productive bilingualism

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Subtractive Bilingualism

• With subtractive bilingualism, the second or
  foreign language (L2) is acquired at the expense
  of the native language (L1), and target culture
  (C2) assimilation threatens to replace values and
  life styles of the native culture (C1).
• Lambert, 1974

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Additive Bilingualism

• With additive bilingualism, the acquisition or
  learning of L2 and C2 is not at the expense of L1
  and C1 identity. L1 and C1 identity are
  maintained.
• Lambert, 1974

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Productive Bilingualism

• The command of the target language and that of
  the native language positively reinforce each
  other deeper understanding and appreciation of
  the target culture goes hand in hand with deeper
  understanding and appreciation of the native
  culture.
• Gao Yihong, 1994, 2001, 2002

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Productive Orientation

• The productive orientation of personality
  refers to a fundamental attitude, a mode of
  relatedness in all realms of human experience. It
  covers mental, emotional, and sensory responses
  to others, to oneself, and to things.
  Productiveness is mans ability to use his powers
  and to realize the potentialities inherent in
  him. (Fromm, 194884)

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• It is the paradox of human existence that man
  must simultaneously seek for closeness and for
  independence for oneness with others and at the
  same time for the preservation of his uniqueness
  and particularity. As we have shown, the answer
  to this paradox and to the moral problem of man
  is productiveness. (ibid. 96-97)

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Shared Assumptions

• Languages and cultures can be clearly defined,
  with hard boundaries.
• Cultures are essentially different from one
  another.
• There is a one-to-one correspondence between
  language and culture.

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Limitations

• Overgeneralization, danger of essentializing
  cultures
• Focusing on individuals competence and
  psychology social factors not adequately taken
  into account

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Globalization and Postmodernism New Challenges
and Opportunities

• Deconstruction of standard varieties World
  Englishes EIL (e.g., Kachru, 1992)
• Deconstruction of language and speech
  community Language free communities, a
  continent without languages (Pennycook, 2007
  Makoni Pennycook, 2007)

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Constructivist Approaches in Social Sciences

• Bourdieu(1977) habitus, field, capital
• Lave and Wenger (1991), Wenger (1998) Community
  of practice
• Anderson (1991) Imagined community
• Giddens (1984, 1991) duality of structure,
  self-identity the self as reflexively
  understood by the individual in terms of his or
  her biography

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Constructivist Views of L2 Learning and Identity

• Investment (Norton, 1995)
• Imagined community (Norton, 2001)
• Imagined global community (Ryan, 2006)
• Bicultural identity partly rooted in local
  culture and partly rooted in global culture, the
  latter associated with English (Dornyei, Csizer
  Nemeth, 2006)
• Symbolic competence (Kramsch, 2008) --ability to
  play with various linguistic codes and with the
  various spatial and temporal resonances of these
  codes.

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Remaining Problems and Debates

• Does native culture and target culture still
  exist? (Yes they do, to many and in various
  situations.)
• How are cultures defined? Do they have clear-cut
  boundaries? (Cultures as prototypes rather than
  sets)
• How do power relations between communities
  influence L2 identity formation and development?

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Models of Bilingual Identities Revisited

• Existing models specify certain TYPES OF
  RELATIONS between different identities associated
  with linguistic varieties, which can be
  maintained and further pursued.
• The territory-bound native (national) culture
  and target (national) culture with hard
  boundaries exist in LEARNERS PERCEPTION as basis
  of identity construction, but they are not the
  ONLY basis, and may not be the MAJOR basis.

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• There is no definite one-to-one correspondence
  between linguistic variety and group identities.
  Yet increasingly in the context of globalization,
  English is associated with a global identity,
  rather than that of a target nation.
• The linguistic varieties involved in identity
  work is not confined to language as narrowly
  defined they cover a range of sociolinguistic
  variation dimensions dialects, styles,
  registers, etc. in communicative practice.
  Discourses, in sum.
• Bilingual/multilingual identities are dynamic
  processes.

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Subtractive Identity Work 1-11

• One identity associated with a certain linguistic
  variety is replaced by another identity
  associated with a different linguistic variety.

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Additive Identity Work 111/21/2

• Two (or more) identities associated with
  different linguistic varieties co-exist in ones
  linguistic and identity repertoire, and have
  respective roles to play in different
  communicative situations or for different
  purposes.

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Productive Identity Work 11gt2

• The two linguistic and community identities
  reinforce each other. Deeper understanding,
  appreciation, and empathy with one community goes
  hand in hand with that of the other.

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Example Olympic Games Volunteers

• Apple for the Venezuela volleyball team
• Cheer for the Singapore table tennis team
• Interaction between Chinese and world
  identities

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Hybrid Identity Work 1111

• Elements from different linguistic varieties are
  mixed to form a new variety, which is associated
  with a distinct identity.

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Example Code-Mixing as a Norm in Pop Songs

• ??- my anata Anata.mp3
• (Moshi moshi? Moshi moshi? Nani
  kore)????savish?????ojisan????????yohji han
  desu ????????????kurabu??nakashi ?oh
  ????????????????????????????????????"a i
  shitteru"?? sayonara

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• hitori de?????????anata???????????????????sumim
  asen???????????oh ?????????????????????????????
  ?????????????anata(anata anata oh , please
  don't go! Oh, no!)????????????????????????match
  ????????????????????

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Example Student Journal

• But it is amazing that not as many students of us
  call others English names in our life as in the
  English class. Usually we call others nicknames
  or adapt our English names to lovely Chinese
  ones. For example, I call Melody Mai Mai(??) or
  just her Chinese nickname. We call Lily, one of
  my best friends, Li Li(??). And they sometimes
  would cal me Wei Wel An(???) or my other
  Chinese nicknames. (Gao et al., 2008)

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Differences Between Productive and Hybrid
Identity Work

• Productive The original identities are kept as a
  whole while interacting with each other
• Hybrid Bits/fragments from original identities
  are assembled to make a new whole.

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Power and Identity Negotiation

• Top-down influence The power difference between
  communities, as perceived, influences identity
  formation.
• Bottom-up influence Learners take the initiative
  to negotiate their identity of power in a
  specific community.

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Conclusion

• Traditional models on language learning and
  identity encounter challenges in the context of
  globalization and postmodernism
• Efforts are made to reframe/expand some major
  theoretical concepts to meet the challenges
• While the core of cultures are still assumed and
  clear-cut cultural boundaries recognized in the
  subjective domain of identity formation,
  complexity, fluidity and dynamism are taken into
  consideration.

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• Subtractive, additive, and productive
  bilingualism are expanded to accommodate new
  forms of identity formation
• Hybrid identity is identified as a new form of
  identity formation
• Interplay of top-down and bottom-up processes of
  identity formation is highlighted

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Thank you!