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Multilingualism and identity construction: A case study of a Uyghur female youth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2022

Yaqiong Cui
Yaqiong Cui*
Affiliation:
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Foreign Languages
*
*Corresponding author. Email: cuiyaqiong@ucas.ac.cn
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Abstract

Drawing on a poststructuralist perspective on identity and elite multilingualism, I traced one Uyghur female's multilingual learning experiences in this case study. Using semistructured interviews as the primary data source, I illustrate that by drawing upon multiple affordances, my Uyghur participant was able to expand her repertoire of linguistic resources and hence effect more powerful social memberships, negotiate her “elite” Uyghur identity, and achieve upward social mobility for herself. This study contributes to our understanding of ethnic minorities’ identity construction and language learning in and through intranational migration.

Type
Research Article
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 42 , March 2022 , pp. 34 - 39
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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