Language Choice and Identity Construction:
The Ley Family
The Mother’s choice of raising her two children in Cantonese was a very bold one.
Why would she make such a choice?
We found that the Ley family’s case could be explained by two theories of language use:
​
- Mbembe’s (1997) idea of language choice as experiment (McLaughlin, 2010: 156)
-
Giles’ (1973) idea of language choice as accommodation (Alexander and McCargo 2014: 78)
Language
as experiment
- ​According to McLaughlin (2010), Mbembe (1997) studies how “urban knowledge” is a much sought-after tool-kit for identity construction and social integration in a post-colonial urban world.
McLaughlin (2010) further writes:
“In order to get by, rural immigrants have to learn how to be urban, to integrate themselves, to absorb and ultimately become part of the hectic vibrancy of urban culture.” (p.155)
“Urban knowledge, as Mbembe terms it, is the ability to improvise, survive, and ultimately succeed in the city. Such knowledge can only be acquired in a practical manner, but it also invites experimentation and improvisation. The characters who people the pages of Boy Dakar and Ass et Oussou, are experimenters and consummate débrouillards who continuously invent creative solutions to the problems they face.” (McLaughlin, 2010, p.156)
“If I don't know the names of food items in Cantonese, I would ask the cashier what is included in a particular meal set by pointing at the menu. If they explain it to me then I will remember that and know how to order food next time; if they are too impatient to tell, I won't bother to ask them to teach me. I will just look for other things somewhere else and go home.” - Mother
“If I knew how to speak and write in Thai in a native manner, it would be sooo cool, like that gives me an edge [over others].”- Younger daughter
It is noteworthy that the mother is not exactly viewing Cantonese as something to have absolute priority: she is not sharing the stress of moving from a "rural" part to a "dazzling metropolis" where she has to move up the social ladder and become cosmopolitan. For example, when she communicates with a Thai parent of a classmate of her daughter, she is not at all peripheral when using the Bangkok variety of Thai in conversation but instead using it as a central language when the parent in fact has to use her mother tongue which is a minority language of Isan in Thailand. Also, the strong ties of Mrs. Ley with friends and family members back in Thailand also shows although she needs to integrate into Hong Kong she still needs to keep abreast with the so-to-speak "Thai urban knowledge", which brings us to the next theory relevant to her case: Accommodation Theory.
Language
as accommodation
Accommodation Theory:
Mother: "converge" --> “upward”
(e.g. accent)
Daughters: "diverge" -->
“distinctive identity”
“authenticity”
TV shows