Meilan Piao Ehlert

Multilingualism and Language Practices of Minority Youths in China: a Case Study of the Ethnic Korean Teenagers in Beijing Meilan Piao Ehlert

Understanding the complex issues of multilingualism and language practices of students with minority language backgrounds is strongly related to the pedagogical strategies of bi-/multilingual education in many countries and regions, including China. This book explores the relationship of languages, identities, and multilingualism among minority youths. Followed by a debate pertaining to the politics of contemporary Chinese nationalism, this study examines how China's nationalism impact languages and identities of ethnic minorities. Drawing from the data collected in a case study of six multilingual ChaoXianZu(ethnic Korean) teenagers from the ChaoXianZu Diaspora in Beijing, this study illustrates the interplay of the macro-level conditions and micro-level processes through which these youths negotiate their identities in multilingual contexts. The findings of this study suggest that the focal multilingual teenagers' tendency of devaluing or undermining their own language knowledge and legitimacy as multilingual is highly dependent on their sociopolitical and sociocultural environment at home, school and community.