Bilingualism and the construction of ethnic identity among Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area

This dissertation examines the role of Chinese-English bilingualism in the construction of ethnic identity for 97 bilingual Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, divided by birthplace (American-born and foreign-born but immigrated to the U.S. as children), age (18-32 and 40+), and gender.; Three levels of analysis are employed, based on questionnaire, interview, and spontaneous bilingual conversation data. The quantitative analysis investigates general patterns of language choice and identity and the social factors that influence them. The qualitative analysis uncovers both social and linguistic dimensions of identity. The interaction analysis examines the ways in which speakers achieve social goals by strategically mixing languages in specifiable ways.; The strongest differentiating factor in linguistic and identity practices is birthplace: American-born versus foreign-born. The qualitative analysis finds Chinese identity is constructed from Chinese components, American identity of American components and in opposition to specific Chinese characteristics, and Chinese American identity as both a combination of Chinese and American components and a unique creation of its own. Participants' perceived expectations of those inside and outside the Chinese American community, and their associated social meanings, complicate these identities and linguistic behaviors, leading participants to moderate the amount of Chinese and English employed and to position themselves so as not to be considered too similar/distinct or authentic/inauthentic, neither too American nor too Chinese. The interaction analysis demonstrates how code-switching (in Mandarin or Cantonese), through the voicing of similarity/difference and authenticity/inauthenticity, can be used to display affiliation and disaffiliation with particular identities.; These results indicate that claiming bilingualism is a vital part of the participants' and community's identities. Contradictorily, participants acknowledge knowing Chinese probably will not be fundamental to future generations' identities. This indicates the fringes of bilingualism can reveal much about the mechanisms and motivations of identifying as bilingual. Further, by considering multiple influences (the individual, community, and outsider) on identity, the results illustrate how the social meanings of linguistic behavior can inform perceptions, practices, and positionings. Finally, the results demonstrate the need to adopt multiple analytical levels in order to more successfully triangulate the processes involved in language and identity.