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Article published In: Language and Communication of Asian Diaspora Communities in Europe
Edited by Zi Wang and Florian Coulmas
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 31:2] 2021
► pp. 279–297

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The dynamics of contacts and multilingual practices in the Chinese community in Britain

Revisiting Social Network Analysis

 | University College London
Published online: 7 January 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00068.li
Abstract
This article revisits the application of Social Network Analysis to the study of language maintenance and language shift in the Chinese community in Britain. An approach that focuses more on individual variations, including variable behaviours by the same speaker in different contexts, is proposed. The approach is illustrated with new data from Chinese-speaking families in London. The role of the social media in language maintenance and language shift, and in promoting multilingual practices is explored.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Social network analysis in linguistic studies
  • The 1980s studies of language maintenance and language shift in the British Chinese community
  • The dynamics of social networks and multilingual practices: A new approach
  • A family ethnography: The Hu family
  • The role of social networking
  • Summary and conclusion: Towards a new dynamics of a multilingual community
  • Note
  • References
References (28)
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