What is cultural identity?Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person's self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality, or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.
What is Bicultural Identity?
Bicultural identity is the condition of being oneself regarding the combination of two cultures. The term can be defined as biculturalism, which is the presence of two different cultures in the same country or region.
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How does it relate to bilingualism?Being bilingual relates to cultural identity as it allows for the speaker to be able to belong to two cultures. Francois Grosjean writes in his article, "Bicultural Bilinguals", about how some children grow up learning two languages, while some grow up learning only one language and later learning another. "In fact, the majority of child bilinguals start monolingually. They first acquire a home language and then, usually when they start going to school, they learn a second language, most often the majority language." (Grosejean, F.). Whether a person grows up learning one language or two at the same time both languages have their own cultures behind them, leading to becoming bicultural.
According to the article, "Bilingualism and Cultural Identity Development: Case Studies for an Interactive Perspective", "individuals positioned between to distinct cultural or linguistic traditions occupy a unique place in society, and are presented with the challenge of integrating their own heritage with that of their adopted culture." (Marcrum, Charles). To further explain, it can be seen that those who speak two languages are special in a way to be able to mix both the culture they grew up in with the culture they are also adopting as learning another language requires one to immerse themselves in the culture of the language they are learning. As stated by Francois Grosjean, "People become bicultural because they are in contact with two (or more) cultures and have to live, in part at least, with these cultures." (Bicultural Bilinguals).This goes to say, an example, if someone were to grow up in a neighborhood with one predominant culture their values, beliefs, and traditions would be similar to the values of their neighbors. They know a certain right from wrong to a particular situation, however if this person were to attend a high school where the predominant culture or multiple cultures were different than their own (culture), they would see how their beliefs, values, and traditions are different than their peers. In four years the student would make friendships, and in forming these relationships they would become bicultural as they will start to take on beliefs, traditions, etc... of their peers. |