Chinese‐Australian cultural conceptualisations of ancestor worship, death and family

Abstract

Drawing samples from Unpolished gem (2006) and Laurinda (2014) written by second generation migrant writer, Alice Pung, this paper employs the world Englishes and cultural linguistics frameworks to explore cultural conceptualisations of Chinese‐Australian authors in Australian literature. With a particular focus on three main conceptualisations: Family, Death, and Ancestor Worship, this paper examines how these conceptualisations are instantiated in the use of English and the linguistic strategies drawn on by the author, such as proper names, use of kinship honorifics, and the creation of humour. This study indicates that writing in Englishes for second generation migrant writers is a blend of home and host culture, and that their use of English, even though it may be their native tongue, extends beyond a monolingual mindset of linguistic and transcultural creativity, reflecting an idiosyncratic English variety of their own.