Making Meanings,Meaning Identity: Hmong Adolescent Perceptions and Use of Language and Style as Identity Symbols

Using qualitative interview data gathered from 28 Hmong adolescents, we examined the meaning ascribed to language and style and how language and style behaviors are used to distinguish identity. We found that the participants used language and style to define their own ethnic group membership and cultural identities. Moreover they inferred meaning from these identity behaviors to discern which peer groups are desirable (those who wear American style clothing and are bilingual) and which are of low social status (“fobby” style clothing and monolingual). The cultural identity symbols used by participants reveal heterogeneity among Hmong adolescent peer groups and evolving definitions of what it means to be Hmong in America.