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Language learning for language minority students in a globalized world
Edited by Mark Feng Teng and Fan Fang
[Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 46:2] 2023
► pp. 164–185

“I want my children to become global citizens”

The role of a heritage language in appreciation of citizenship status in young Korean Australian children and their parents

ORCID logo | Macquarie University
ORCID logo | Macquarie University
ORCID logo | Macquarie University
Increasing globalisation has spurred a flow of migrants worldwide. These movements include exchanges of migrants’ linguistic repertoires across regions, transforming the ways in which they define themselves in a multilingual society. Unlike identity categories such as ethnic identity, the contested concept of citizenship identity has remained underexplored in heritage language (HL) research. Focusing on Korean migrant families in Australia, this study extends the limited knowledge about the roles of citizenship in HL maintenance across different generations. Specifically, drawing on interviews with six Korean-speaking parents and their children, this study compares the ways in which migrant parents and their primary and secondary school-aged children relate a HL to their citizenship status. Thematic analysis reveals that while HL-speaking children tend to associate their language with national or ethnic identities, migrant parents are more likely to identify their children as global citizens whose HL competencies are essential for their future career and economic advantage. The study contributes to scholarship at the intersection of HL, citizenship, and globalisation.
Keywords: heritage language, migrant children, citizenship identity, global citizenship
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Global citizenship and heritage languages
  • 3.Language ideologies, identity, and heritage language
  • 4.The present study
    • 4.1Korean migrants in Sydney
    • 4.2Participants
    • 4.3Data collection and analysis
  • 5.Findings
    • 5.1Identity associated with language use
    • 5.2Rationale for maintaining Korean as a HL
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 4 July 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.22035.joo
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2023. Reflections on language learning and social practice for language minority students. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 46:2 ► pp. 279 ff. DOI logo
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