On the education of Vietnamese to the heritage students; A case study of later generations of Vietnamese Australians

Abstract

From the current landscape of Australian multilingualism, this paper examines the socio-linguistic characteristics of the Vietnamese used in various domains as a �diasporic language� and points out that the languaging process among Vietnamese Australians in various diasporas reflects a number of identity-related perspectives. Other than a practical social action, accounts of code-choice and code switching in various contexts often signify group membership as well as social identities, which are often strongly marked in later generations of Vietnamese Australians. In addition to seeking possible answers to the question of the mechanism of ethnic retention and cultural reproduction in later-generation Vietnamese immigrants, the paper makes some concluding remarks as implications for language policy and language education to and within communities as a way to maintain the particular culture.