An exploration of Taiwanese multilingual students’ linguistic identities

Abstract

Language is a fundamental tool that people use to express and communicate their sense of self to a wider social world. An individual's identity is understood as being fluid, unfixed and multifaceted. Therefore, how an individual presents their identity through the use of languages in one's linguistic repertoire is a complex and dynamic process. This present study explored the linguistic repertoire and linguistic identities of Taiwanese multilingual students, ranging in age from 11 to 17, through the use of a Language Portrait Silhouette. The analysis focused on the qualitative data and sought to understand how individuals represent their rapport with their languages through the choice of color, the mapping location of a language on the silhouette and written narratives. Results revealed that Taiwanese students’ identities are evolving as their linguistic repertoire is expanding. That is to indicate that Taiwanese multilingual students’ linguistic identities are flexible and constantly changing.