Visualising Third Culture Kids’ identity through language portraits: the case of Vietnamese sojourner children in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using semi-structured interviews and language portraits, this research investigates how six Vietnamese sojourner children who have spent from two to five years in Australia perceive their bilingual/bicultural identity. This article contributes to the limited research on sojourner children’s or Third Culture Kids’ (TCKs) own perceptions of how their transnational experiences contribute to the formation of their bilingual/bicultural identity. The children portray themselves as unbalanced bilinguals who are more proficient in English than in Vietnamese. Results also uncover their strong sense of ethnicity through the internalisation of the idea of ‘being culturally Vietnamese’, supported by the colouring of what they see as the most culturally and emotionally representative parts of their body in their language portraits. Also highlighted is their proficiency in and the utilisation of English as an external tool to mediate their communication with the surrounding environment and negotiate their bilingual/bicultural identity accordingly. Their strong affiliation with Australian-ness through lived experiences is acknowledged, while the connection with their home country of Vietnam seems to be harnessed by more abstract factors such as birthplace, ethnicity and future plans. The paper concludes with a suggestion for appropriate support for TCKs to take advantage of their transnational experiences.