2016 Volume 21 Pages 73-83
The goal of this multi-part paper is to create a framework towards understanding the relationship of language and identity in multiracial individuals. A bilingual person’s identity is defined by who he or she is through social interaction with others, through how they are categorized and understood by others, and possibly through how much a person may or may not internalize the views of others. As the main focus of this third section of their multi-part paper, the authors examine issues of bilingualism in multiracial individuals in one particular set of such individuals. In particular, they devote this section to discussing the bilingual experiences of AmerAsians in Okinawa, which highlights how bilinguality and biculturality affect such individuals in terms of both their opportunities in society, their perceptions of the world, and their own identities. The role of language is vital to a multiracial individual’s identity because it is a central component in social relationships, allowing access to cultural knowledge and behavior of ethnic groups; and further, how it influences the bicultural, bilingual individual’s capabilities to negotiate the sense of self and acceptance into a group or society.
