The Double-Edged Sword of Mandarin : Language Shift and Cultural Maintenance among Middle-Aged Chinese-Malaysians

Authors

• Teresa Wai See Ong
• Robert A. Troyer

Publication Date

2022

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that the increasing importance of Mandarin in education and public life has led many younger Chinese-Malaysians to regard Mandarin as their mother tongue and part of their cultural identity rather than a heritage language. Fewer studies have documented the language repertoires of middle-aged and older Chinese-Malaysians. This paper presents a qualitative study of Mandarin use conducted with six Chinese-Malaysians aged 40 and older. The participants reported extensive use of Mandarin in the domains of home, work, religion, and cultural maintenance, which were served by a heritage language in the past. This indicates that the use of Mandarin by the older generation Chinese-Malaysians to engage with the contemporary linguistic world is influenced by hegemonic local and global factors. This study therefore highlights the significance of Mandarin as both an element of cultural identity and an instrument of heritage language loss.

DOI

10.1163/26659077-25010005

First Page

1

Last Page

20

Recommended Citation

See Ong, Teresa Wai and A. Troyer, Robert (2022) "The Double-Edged Sword of Mandarin : Language Shift and Cultural Maintenance among Middle-Aged Chinese-Malaysians," Manusya, Journal of Humanities: Vol. 25: No. 1, Article 15.
DOI: 10.1163/26659077-25010005
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/manusya/vol25/iss1/15