Language, migration and social wellbeing

Abstract

This article explores language experiences of three Bangladeshi migrant workers with low English proficiency in Australia through narrative inquiry. The narrative of each participant presents insights into the ways in which these migrants navigated through their work and social life, and developed social and communicative strategies to survive in the host country where English is the dominant language. Analyses of the narratives suggest that despite their limited English proficiency, these migrant workers were able to find ways to contribute to the host society and they felt satisfied with their lives in Australia. Although not generalisable, the findings call for taking a critical look at the prevailing assumption that without English language proficiency migrants cannot enjoy a successful life or ensure their social and economic wellbeing in the host society. At the same time, there needs to be a greater recognition of the role of migrants’ first languages in the new society. We also argue that instead of taking a generalised view of ‘success’ and ‘wellbeing’, taking a differentiated view may be warranted and this may require taking into account migrants’ individual circumstances and their desires and expectations in relation to their social origins.

Language learning for language minority students in a globalized world

“…Despite extensive research on multilingual and multicultural development, there has been a lack of international scholarly attention paid to languageminority populations. Hence, we agree with the pressing need to develop a new understanding of language teaching and learning in multilingual settings to respond to recent sociocultural and technological advances (Blackledge & Creese, 2010;Dovchin, 2020). For example, the use of social media has led to the emergence of translingual Englishes, challenging traditional linguistic ideologies and providing opportunities for linguistic and cultural hybridity (Dovchin, 2020).…”

“…It is essential to provide a quality education for all learners, including ethnic and linguistic minorities. However, language minority students often receive limited educational resources, leading to a lack of English proficiency and limited opportunities for socioeconomic well-being in the host society (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016). Furthermore, broader ecological factors such as acculturation, gender, and identity can influence minority students' academic identity construction and mainstream language learning (Gu, Chiu, & Li, 2022).…”

Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2015–2022)

“…3 The links between L2 use, membership and social/personal identities in Australia have been highlighted in several studies (e.g., Park, 2022;Perera, 2021). For studies within the period under review, selfrepresentation is placed in the centre of language use and identity (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016;Cummins, 2015;Minagawa & Nesbitt, 2022;Tankosić, 2022). How migrants represent themselves and/or are represented in various social contexts is critically linked to the kinds of communications and interactions they participate in, their ongoing L2 learning (and hence the teaching they experience) (Minagawa & Nesbitt, 2022), and their overall integration into mainstream society (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016).…”

“…For studies within the period under review, selfrepresentation is placed in the centre of language use and identity (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016;Cummins, 2015;Minagawa & Nesbitt, 2022;Tankosić, 2022). How migrants represent themselves and/or are represented in various social contexts is critically linked to the kinds of communications and interactions they participate in, their ongoing L2 learning (and hence the teaching they experience) (Minagawa & Nesbitt, 2022), and their overall integration into mainstream society (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016). Addressing the identities and self-representations of migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds is one of the essential investments at the dynamic intersection of social identities, capital, ideology, institutional contexts, language resources and social identities (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016).…”

“…How migrants represent themselves and/or are represented in various social contexts is critically linked to the kinds of communications and interactions they participate in, their ongoing L2 learning (and hence the teaching they experience) (Minagawa & Nesbitt, 2022), and their overall integration into mainstream society (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016). Addressing the identities and self-representations of migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds is one of the essential investments at the dynamic intersection of social identities, capital, ideology, institutional contexts, language resources and social identities (Chowdhury & Hamid, 2016). Australian studies undertaken during the review period highlight that identities are not static, but instead fluid, multiple, changeable across time and space, and always constructed in relation to interactions with othersincluding, of course, in many other identity studies conducted outside Australia.…”