Transmigrant identities and attitudes: the case of a Pangasinan-American family

Abstract

Identity plays a crucial role in determining whether diasporic minority communities either integrate into the host country or resist acculturation and assimilation. Since identity is performed and negotiated through discourse, the study of connections between identity and language practices of migrant groups is crucial in understanding how language is used to express their multilayered identities. Using sociolinguistic interviews as the primary data source, this research analyzes how three generations of a Pangasinan-American family negotiate their complex identities and express their attitudes towards English, Filipino, and Pangasinan. Findings show that their Pangasinan-American identity is performed through translingual practices, which enable the portrayal of their membership to their home community and their integration into the host society. Each participant situates their Pangasinan identity in relation to their other identities – Filipino and American – which emerge in the diasporic context. This study contributes to the research on the role of language in the development of community membership and allegiances of bi-/multilingual transmigrants.