Language Acquisition and Identity

 Language acquisition is much more than just learning grammar rules or memorizing vocabulary. It is a deeply personal and social journey in which our identities—how we see ourselves and how others see us—are constantly shaped and reshaped. As bilingual teachers in training it is essential to understand how language learning is interwoven with identity formation, negotiation, and expression.

Understanding Identity in Language Learning

Identity is not a fixed label. It is a dynamic, lived experience shaped through social interaction. Elise DuBord (2014) draws an important distinction between identity formation—the personal process of shaping who we are—and identity as the version of ourselves perceived or constructed by others. This ongoing negotiation happens largely through language.

But language does more than reflect who we are. It constitutes identity. Every time we choose a word, switch a register, or adapt our tone, we are subtly (or not so subtly) performing a version of ourselves. Research in linguistic ethnography confirms that language and social identity continuously influence and shape one another (KhirAllah, 2021).

We don’t usually notice it, but we perform multiple identities throughout our day—teacher, student, friend, sibling—and each of these roles comes with different linguistic styles. In fact, William Labov (1966) observed how people shift speaking styles depending on the context. For instance, a person might speak more formally when answering interview questions, but use a relaxed tone with friends. This phenomenon is known as style-shifting.

Allan Bell’s (1984) Audience Design Theory explains this well: we adjust our style in response to the people we are interacting with. So, speaking is not just about transmitting information—it's about shaping identity in real time.

Three Levels of Identity

According to sociolinguistic research, identity operates on three interconnected levels:

1. Macro-level: Broad demographic categories like age, gender, ethnicity, and class.
2. Local ethnographic level: Cultural practices and roles embedded in specific communities.
3. Interactional level: Identity as something dynamic, created in each social interaction.

This last level is especially important in language classrooms. Here, identity isn’t something we carry into the room—it’s something we build through our words and actions.

Bucholtz and Hall (2005) outlined five principles for understanding identity in linguistic practice: Emergence, Positionality, Indexicality, Relationality, and Partialness. In this course, we will focus on Positionality and Indexicality.

Positionality: Who We Are in Relation to Others

Positionality helps us understand how our social identities—like gender, nationality, or religion—affect how we use language and how others perceive us. These identities are not static. They shift over time and space, especially in response to political, historical, and social forces.

When we speak, we often position ourselves by associating with or distancing from specific groups. For example, a student might emphasize their academic vocabulary to signal alignment with scholarly communities or downplay certain features to avoid being linked to a marginalized group. This is not superficial; it’s a reflection of how we navigate power, privilege, and belonging.

In public discourse—especially political or national conversations—this becomes even more visible: we see contrasts like we/they, colonizer/colonized, or modern/underdeveloped being constructed through language.

Indexicality: The Social Meaning of Language

Indexicality refers to the idea that certain words, pronunciations, or phrases carry social meanings. For instance, saying running with a full /iŋ/ sound might signal education or formality, while saying runnin’ could signal casualness or regional identity. These differences can influence how people are perceived in different settings, such as job interviews or classroom discussions.

Indexicality works both directly—as when someone says, “I am Colombian”—and indirectly, through presuppositions or subtle cues. When someone says, “You know, she wears tracksuits all the time,” they may be indirectly indicating the subject’s identity (e.g., athlete, working class), while also revealing something about their own.

Understanding indexicality helps us become more aware of how language shapes our perceptions and how learners may feel empowered or limited by these perceptions in their second language (L2) experiences.

Identity and Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

Before the 1970s, second language acquisition was seen largely as a psychological process. But thanks to scholars like Firth and Wagner (1997, 2007), sociolinguistics brought attention to the fact that language learning is also a social and embodied experience. Language learners do not just learn forms—they also negotiate identities in new communities.

Naoko Morita (2012) highlights two major theoretical paths in SLA:

• Sociocultural frameworks, like language socialization and community of practice, where learning L2 means gaining not just competence but also membership in a community.
• Poststructuralist and feminist perspectives, introduced by Bonnie Norton (1995, 2000), which examine how power relations and access influence language learners' identities and their opportunities to participate.

Norton’s concept of investment is key. While motivation focuses on personal reasons to learn (like career or travel), investment considers how learners’ desire to engage with a language is shaped by their social positioning and the opportunities (or barriers) they face. For example, migrants may want to learn English, but if they’re excluded from meaningful interactions, their identity as learners—and their progress—can be stifled.

Morita (2012) studied two Japanese students and found that learners are socially and historically shaped. When learners feel they must hide or silence parts of their identity, it negatively affects their learning. This is why it is so important for language teachers to create safe, reflective spaces—like journals or group discussions—where learners can explore who they are in and through their new language.

Understanding the deep connection between language and identity empowers us as educators. When we recognize that every student brings a complex self into the classroom—and that learning a language is also learning how to be in a new world—we can support their growth not just as language users, but as whole human beings.

So, as you prepare your lessons or reflect on your students’ progress, ask yourself: How is this activity helping my learners negotiate their identity? What kind of identities does this classroom allow—or limit? How can I support my students in feeling seen, valued, and heard in their L2 journey?

References

Bell, A. (1984). Language style as audience design. Language in Society, 13(2), 145–204.

Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4-5), 585–614.

DuBord, E. (2014). Negotiating transnational identities in the Spanish language classroom. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 11(3), 164–191.

Firth, A., & Wagner, J. (1997). On discourse, communication, and (some) fundamental concepts in SLA research. The Modern Language Journal, 81(3), 285–300.

Firth, A., & Wagner, J. (2007). Second/foreign language learning as a social accomplishment: Elaborations on a reconceptualized SLA. The Modern Language Journal, 91, 800–819.

Labov, W. (1966). The Social Stratification of English in New York City. Washington, DC: Centre for Applied Linguistics.

Morita, N. (2012). Identity and second language learning. In L. Ortega (Ed.), The Encyclopaedia of Applied Linguistics (pp. 2672–2678). Wiley-Blackwell.

Norton, B. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), 9–31.

Norton, B. (2000). Identity and Language Learning: Gender, Ethnicity and Educational Change. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.