This paper reports a qualitative study of language identity among mobile European students in varied higher education contexts. Participants’ language learning history, current language practices and language identifications were investigated. Findings indicate the prevalence of a relatively fluid plurilingual identity among this group; implications for language identity theory are discussed.
Young people across Europe now study English throughout their schooling, and use English extensively in online leisure practices (Sockett, 2014). Additionally, English is spreading as a medium of instruction in higher education. Research shows widespread youth preferences for English compared with commonly taught languages other than English (LOTEs): Busse, 2017; Csizer & Lukacs, 2010). The implications for language identity, and in particular how far contemporary multilingualism including languages other than English can be incorporated in L2 Self System Theory, are debated (Dornyei & Al-Hoorie, 2017). A range of possibilities is proposed, from "contented bilingual" identity (English plus home language(s)) to an integrated "multilingual" identity encompasisng a range of languages (Henry, 2017). This paper reports an investigation of the development of language identity among mobile European students, conducted through the COST Action Network "Study Abroad in European Perspective". Mobile students are known to value English as a medium of instruction, and to use it widely as a lingua franca (see e.g. Kalocsai, 2013; Martinez-Arbelaiz, Areizaga & Camps, 2017). However, few have so far studied the implications for the development of language identity among sojourners (for exceptions see e.g. Dervin, 2013; Mas Alcolea, 2017, 2018). In this qualitative study, students from varied national backgrounds taking part in the Erasmus+ programme were interviewed at a range of European higher education sites, with different local language traditions and configurations. Participants' language practices and language identifications were investigated, concerning their home language(s), English, and LOTEs. FIndings indicate the prevalence of a relatively fluid plurilingual identity among this mobile group, shaped by prior language learning histories, by the immediate higher education context when abroad, and by longer-term life goals; implications for language identity theory, and in particular for clearer conceptualisations of plurilingual identity, are discussed.
