6533b856fe1ef96bd12b2469

RESEARCH PRODUCT

A third space: discursive realizations of immigrant identity

subject

description

The relationship between additional language use and identity has long been of interest to scholars studying immigration and multilingualism. While oral language is frequently examined as a site for the negotiation of identity, written texts can also be studied for information about how language learners position themselves within their receiving culture. This study looks at the relationship between pronoun choice and identity in additional language academic writing by first generation immigrants in Norway, arguing that language learners signal solidarity with certain subject positions through their use of pronouns. Examining English-language texts discussing themes related to language preservation and immigration, one finds that the immigrant students in this sample are more likely to align their identifications with the receiving country, Norway, than they are to distance themselves from it. However, the texts also reveal a tendency for the students to identify with immigrants as a pan-national group, n...