Identities and Language Use across Contexts in a Multilingual University in Hong Kong: A Filipina International Student’s Narrativized Account

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the intricate relationship between identity and language use in a multilingual university context by analyzing a Filipina international student’s narrativized accounts of her experiences in a Hong Kong university. The findings suggest that the international student’s identity negotiation and language practices vary markedly across contexts and appear to be shaped by different language regimes operating in different in-class and out-of-class spaces within the university. The study also reveals that various language ideologies mediate the international student’s situated identity negotiation and language use, including ideologies pertaining to the relationship between language and ethnicity, the relationship between English proficiency levels and the local/non-local student categorization, and the hierarchization of different varieties of English. Overall, the study argues for the need to attend to the complex and dynamic interplay between identity negotiation, language use and language ideology in understanding the international student’s experiences in a multilingual university context.

KEYWORDS:

• Identity negotiation
• international student
• language ideology
• language regime
• multilingualism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Selected extracts below are taken directly from the interview transcripts.

Additional information

Funding

The research described in this paper was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee [project number 23600416] and City University of Hong Kong [project number 7005165].

Notes on contributors

Chit Cheung Matthew Sung

Chit Cheung Matthew Sung is Assistant Professor in the Department of English at City University of Hong Kong. He holds a PhD from Lancaster University, UK. He previously taught at the University of Hong Kong and later at Lingnan University Hong Kong as Assistant Professor. His research interests include language and identity, language ideology, multilingualism, English as a world language, second language education, and international education.