Språk och identitet
en intervjustudie av några gymnasieungdomar med svenska som andraspråk
This study aims to investigate, describe and discuss the views of a group of adolescents on their identity and the process of second language acquisition. They all came to Sweden and started studying in Swedish schools in the last three years without any knowledge of the Swedish language.The study has been conducted with respect to the adolescents own perspectives and what they consider important.The methods used are group discussions/ interviews, observations in class and informal discussions with teachers and adolescents.Their voices are described and discussed in this paper. One must take into consideration that there is no objective of being neutral or to generalize the results to any other group or category. On the contrary the study has involved critical self- scrutiny and active reflexivity according to ethnographic tradition.Symbolic interaction has provided a theoretical framework for the study. Looking into how social identities may be constructed or communicated from the adolescents voices and looking in to their use of language the study reveals that several expectations and situations need? to be met by different identities. The adolescents struggle to be accepted as members of the mainstream although they are a linguistic minority.They are convinced that second language acquisition is the key to success although the same language still is a hindrance to negotiation of identity in the school context. Their strategy to be recognised as equals manifests itself in submissive attitudes and compliance. The adolescents explain this kind of behaviour as a natural attitude from the schools in their first country. The adolescents in this study are motivated. They do not see adaptation as a loss of anything rather as an enriched life experience and nutrition to their double identities. They are not victims of language discrimination but subjected to symbolic power influencing them in their actions. They are still working on their identities, their language acquisition and adaptation to expectations in different situations. They are, and will be, multidimensional personalities.