ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Chinese respondents in Britain who were asked to select which of three descriptions, ‘Chinese’, ‘British-Chinese’ or ‘British’ they felt best defined their ethnicity. Language is widely recognised as an important indicator to distinguish cultural belonging. For the Chinese youngsters, the term ‘British-Chinese’ seemed to revolve around the English language they spoke in school and the Chinese language they spoke at home. It would appear as they spoke that they were using the language as a kind of synonym for culture. The development of cultural identity is a developmental, dynamic and complex process. The chapter illustrates the crucial link between language use and choice of cultural identity. Racism was the cause of real suffering for many Chinese adolescents. People threatening them and calling them names was part of their social experience as they grew up in British society.
