‘Nói thì học Mỹ, học rặt Mỹ luôn’: language ideologies in a Vietnamese restaurant in South Texas

ABSTRACT

Employing ethnography and the theoretical paradigm of language ideology (Silverstein, M. 1979. “Language structure and linguistic ideology.” In The Elements: A Parasession on Linguistic Units and Levels, edited by P. Clyne, W. Hanks, and H. Carol, 193–247. Chicago Linguistic Society), this article examines how ideologies of language inform language practices among migrant workers in a Vietnamese restaurant in South Texas. Data is drawn from participant observations, audio-recorded interactions, semi-structured interviews with participants, and collection of artifacts. Findings suggest that the participants hold certain ideologies, namely, (1) standardised English as an impediment or a resource, (2) polite language as access to community membership and career opportunities, and (3) multilingualism as a marketable commodity. Those beliefs, in turn, shape their trajectory of language practices and socialisation patterns. The participants’ language ideologies, therefore, do not exist separately as a theoretical divide, nor a static social construct, but constantly evolve, mutually inform, and contest each other, dynamically transformed during their socialisation process. The paper concludes with the emphasis on exploring linguistic dynamics, such as language ideologies and multilingual turn in language socialisation, across similar transnational communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Language ideologies
• language practices
• transnational
• Vietnamese

Acknowledgement

I would love to express my gratitude to Dr. Juliet Langman and Dr. Sidury Christiansen for their feedback on the preliminary stages of this paper. I also want to thank the participants at East Asia 2 who allowed me to tell their stories and become a part of their lived experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I volunteered to work on Saturday and Sunday evening shifts in exchange for free meals.

2 All the participants’ names are pseudonyms.