W1 Intercultural Communication 2: Language and Identity.

Assessment.
1,500 word essay on a choice of three questions.

What is identity?
Identity is:
➔ Something you relate to.
➔ Something you take pride in.
➔ Something that can be implicit or explicit.
➔ Something unique to everyone.
➔ Relational.
Identity can be shown in the way we speak. We have different languages
when we speak to our friends, our colleagues, our parents etc.

Characteristics of identity.
Identity is our self-concept or sense of self. It defines how we see
ourselves and our place in the world. We begin to form our sense of self
at a very young age through the primary socialisation process. Through
observation and interaction, we identify with or relate to our peers,
neighbours, communities and others. As we establish our own identities,
we learn what makes us similar to some people and different from
others. Our identities give us a sense of belonging in a complex world
but they can also be barriers to intercultural interactions.

There is no one single story that one can tell. It is non-essentialist.

The primary socialisation process.

➔ Identity differs among and within social and cultural settings.
➔ Independent self-construal (self-perception emphasising
autonomy and separateness).
➔ Interdependent self-construal (self-perception emphasising
relatedness).
➔ We develop a sense of who we are and how we fit in society
through messages we receive from the world around us.

Early scholars portrayed identity as singular and fixed by the time

children reach adolescence, with social and cultural group membership
clearly defined through enculturation.

Individuals have multiple identities, asserting different aspects of

themselves in diverse social and cultural contexts.

Identities are multifaceted, complex, dynamic, fluid, and sometimes,

even contradictory.
Certain aspects of one’s identity may have different meanings and
significance in one’s life.

Identity may change as a consequence of personal, economic and

social circumstances.

Avowal → communicating identity(ies) or self-image(s) that you wish to

present or how you see yourself.
Ascription → assigning to someone else what you think his or her
identity is or should be.
Avowed identity → the one that we wish to present or claim in an
interaction.
Ascribed identity → the one that others give to us.

Characteristics of identity continued.

Depending on the context/situation, there will naturally be aspects or
dimensions that we wish to emphasise more than others or that other
people will consider more important. Identity salience is “the degree to
which an identity is prominent or stands out to us in a given situation”
(Oetzel 2009).

Identity intensity refers to how significant a particular identity is to us

or how attached we feel to it (Collier 1994).

Elements of our identity may become more evident and significant to us

when they are contested or challenged.

Contested identity refers to facets or elements of one’s identity that are

not accepted by the people we are in contact with.

We negotiate our identities through verbal and non-verbal means,

depending on what messages we wish to send. We convey information
that is below our level of awareness, especially through non-verbal
channels. In face-to-face interactions, our interlocutors are interpreting
our actions and processing our appearance, while making assessments
about how we are and what groups we belong to.

Our language and communication styles can express multiple

dimensions of our identity.

Bilingual or multilingual people convey different dimensions of their

identities.
Personal identity.
“A person’s notion of self” - Martin and Nakayama 2008.
This defines an individual in terms of his or her difference to others (Liu
et al 2009).

Social identity.
Social identity consists partly of our social group membership
affiliations and the emotional significance of that membership. Social
identity relates to how we identify ourselves in relation to others based
on what we have in common. These can be class, age, sexuality, gender,
politics, religion.

Cultural identity.
“Our situated sense of self that is shaped by our cultural experiences
and social locations” (Sorrells 2013).
“Emotional significance that we attach to our sense of belonging or
affliction with the larger culture” (Ting-Toomey and Chung 2012).
Cultural identities are relational. Our attachment to a particular group
is impacted by how we believe others perceive our group. Through
experiences and teachings, members develop a sense of belonging in a
process called cultural identity formation. Strong cultural identities can
serve as barriers when individuals become intolerant of others’ beliefs
and practices.

Racial and ethnic identity.

The terms “race” and “ethnicity” are contested, as they can be used to
categorise and marginalise people.
Racial identity is “biological/genetic makeup”.
Ethnic identity is one’s perceptions and emotions regarding one’s aff…

Social class identity.

“A sense of belonging to a group that shares similar economic,
occupational, or social status” (Martin and Nakayama 2008).
It influences who we identify and associate with. We communicate our
economic, social and occupational status through our verbal and
non-verbal behaviours. Emblems of identity, such as accent, indicate
our class identity. Relational, those in the economic, educational and
social majority give little thought to their class identity until they are
around people who have a much higher or lower status.

Language identity.
“The assumed and/or attributed relationship between one’s sense of
self and a means of communication which might be known as a
language, dialect or sociolect” (Block 2007). Dimensions of our social and
cultural identities (gender, class, ethnicity) are shaped by the language
we use.

Second language identity (L2).

Individuals may wish to be affiliated with a particular social or cultural
group through the use of their L2 but L1 speakers may persist in viewing
them as outsiders, no matter how well they master the language.
Learning an additional language need not lead to the loss of one’s first
language and cultural identity.

Subtractive bilingualism in which an L2 is added at the expense of the

L1 and L1 culture (Cummins 1994).

Additive bilingualism in which the L1 and L1 culture continue to be

nurtured as an L2 develops (Cummins 1994).

Multicultural and multilingual identity.

“a sense of in-betweeners that develops as a result of frequent or
multiple cultural border crossings” (Martin and Nakayama 2008). The
sustained contact with people from diverse cultures means attachment
to multiple ethnic groups and linguistic communities. There are no ties
or affiliations to any group in particular. These hybrid/mixed identities
integrate diverse cultural elements such as multiple languages, local
values, and global perspective.

Individuals who are exposed to diverse cultures may internalise multiple

cultural frames of reference and experience encapsulated marginality
or constructive marginality.

“The encapsulated marginal is a person who is buffeted by conflicting

cultural loyalties and unable to construct a unified identity” (Bennett
1993).

“A constructive marginal is a person who is able to construct context

intentionally and consciously for the purpose of creating his or her own
identity”. (Bennett 1993).

Global nomads or third culture kids may develop a sense of

inbetweenness or multicultural identity. Exposure to cultural values,
practices and identities that conflict with each other can be disquieting
and, for some, can lead to identity confusion. Others take full
advantage of their mobility and intercultural experiences and develop a
constructive multicultural identity.
Gender(ed)/sex(ed) identity.
Gender refers to one’s avowed identity as man, woman, both or neither;
sex to an ascribed identity of male or female.
“Identification based on one’s gender, and society’s conceptualisation of
the role of that gender” (Wintergerst and McVeigh 2011).

Our understanding of gender develops during the primary socialisation

process. In different socio-cultural and historical contexts, different
gender-related behaviours are promoted. Language use is linked with
gender and serves as a marker of one’s gender in a particular social or
cultural context.

Sexual identity.
Sexual identity refers to how one thinks of oneself in terms of who one is
sexually and who one is romantically attracted to. There are diverse
terms for sexualites and the attitudes towards those with marked
sexualties vary considerably.

Age identity.
Age can determine positioning and status in family, work and social
settings. Age can influence one's self-image, personality, language use,
attitudes and interaction with others. Age identity is how people feel
and think about themselves and others based on age, both in terms of
inner experience of a person’s age and the ageing process itself. Views
about age and growing older vary among cultures and shape
expectations of roles, status and responsibilities.

Religious identity.
Religious identity refers to one’s sense of belonging to a particular
religious group. An affiliation with a religion can be a core dimension of
one’s identity. It can have a profound impact on one’s daily life.
Religious identity formation is the process by which individuals learn or
decide what their relationship to religion will be. It may mean different
things to individuals and its importance may change with exposure to
other beliefs and practices.

Physical and mental ability identity.

Physical ability identity is related to physical capabilities and
limitations, such as height, weight, shape, illness. Mental ability identity
is related to cognitive abilities (intelligence) and mental health (such as
depression) and the ability to function. The impact on sense of self and
position in society. Individuals with disabilities may see themselves as
belonging to a cultural group with its own values, practices, language
and communication patterns (deaf culture, blind culture).
National identity.
Our afflication with and sense of belonging to a particular state or
station (offical citizenship or otherwise). It may be linked with specific
symbols (flags, language, religion etc). Individuals may have different
emotions in relationship to those symbols. Other symbols incklude
language, oath of allegiance and national anthems. The strength of
one’s national identity may vary over time, and it can both strengthen
and threaten a person.

Regional identity.
An individuals identity is rooted in his or her region of residence. Your
sense of belonging like national identity but on a smaller scale. Regional
identities may be inspired by cultural, ethnic, religious, linguistic or
politcal ties as well as geography. People may be distinguished from
others in their nation by their unique linguistic and cultural identities,
accompained by special forms of dress, artwork, food and social norms.

Global identity.
More and more individuals are developing a global indentity that
enables them to feel connected to a worldwide culture. It is often
associated with the use of an international language. A global identity
allows us to recognise and appreciate our connection with people in
other parts of the world. A broadened mindset helps us to solve
pressing issues facing us today, such as food shortages, global
warming and territorial disputes.

Organisational or institutional identity.

A sense of attachment to an organisation or instituion in our social,
educational, religious or professional lives. It leads to a degree of loyalty
and pride in the organisation. It is linked to the notion of communities
or practice - there is an engagement in shared practices, development
of shared understandings and construction of identites in relation to
the group or community. This can also leads to shared langauges.

Professional identity.
A sense of belonging to a particluar profession, such as nursing,
teaching, business. It encompasses beliefs, attitudes, understanding
about roles and it is characterised by specialised terms and styles. It
also leads to specialised, technical language such as jargon. There is a
professional identity formation is how individuals develop a sense of
being a member of a particular profession and how this identity
distinguishes them from other professional groups.
Virtual identity.
Internet, social media and gaming foster a new type of identity. Online
communities allow users to create a virtual identity as an interface
between the physical person and the virtual person that other users
interact with on their computer screen. Subcultures also have various
forms of fantasy identities which centre around science fiction, movies,
comics such as Thor, Spiderman, anime etc.

To summarise:
➔ Identity is a core element in intercultural interactions.
➔ Our multiple identities impact how we see oursevles and others.
➔ Identites are dynamic and influenced by socialisation.
➔ Identities are complex and subject to negotiation.
➔ Our identities may be contested by others.
➔ Our affiliations with groups can give us a sense of belonging.
➔ Our identites can be barriers to intercultural communication.