Language and Identity in the Postcolonial Space: A Study of Bilingualism and “Self-Intersection”

Authors

  • Hang Thu Pham

    Faculty of Sociology, Humanities and Communications, Tay Do University, Can Tho 94000, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i7.9571
Received: 17 April 2025 | Revised:9 June 2025 | Accepted: 19 June 2025 | Published Online: 15 July 2025

Abstract

This study examines how Vietnamese-English bilinguals construct, perform, and negotiate their personal identity through language in both digital and everyday interactions. Adopting a qualitative methodology that integrates Critical Discourse Analysis with poststructuralist theory, linguistic ethnography, and the concept of symbolic competence, the research investigates bilingual practices such as code-switching, metalinguistic awareness, and cross-linguistic emotional expression. Findings indicate that bilingual speakers navigate multilayered forms of subjectivity, deploying language not only as a communicative resource but also as a tool for emotional modulation, performative identity work, and reflexive self-positioning. English, in particular, frequently serves as a psychological refuge, providing emotional distance, enabling nuanced affective articulation, and preserving discursive agency in contexts of vulnerability or ambivalence. These practices reveal the fluid and dynamic nature of bilingual identity, continually shaped by linguistic choice, cultural ideology, and shifting emotional registers. The study advances a view of bilingualism as an embodied, multidimensional process situated at the intersection of language, affect, and cultural meaning-making. Practical implications underscore the need for language education to adopt identity-responsive pedagogies—approaches that empower learners to engage with language not only as a technical skill but as a symbolic resource for self-expression, negotiation, and emotional resilience.

Keywords:

Bilingualism; Identity Negotiation; Metalinguistic Awareness; Code-Switching; Emotional Expression; Psychological Refuge

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How to Cite

Pham, H. T. (2025). Language and Identity in the Postcolonial Space: A Study of Bilingualism and “Self-Intersection”. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(7), 503–517. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i7.9571

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 7 (July 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Hang Thu Pham

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.