ABSTRACT
Holmes notes that people may ‘signal their ethnicity by the language they choose to use’ (2008: 183). In this chapter, we examine the various ways ethnicity may be expressed and communicated through language. We’ll consider how the position of ethnic groups in the social hierarchy is reflected by language use. As with other variables such as class and age, a person’s ethnicity has at times been treated as a simple part of their essential nature; stable, determined and unchanging. It is true that some research shows a correlation between particular linguistic variables and ethnicity. However, we will see that it’s not always quite so straightforward. How individuals articulate their ethnicity and how it is understood may vary because of the communicative context they’re in and the people they’re interacting with. Ethnicity may also interact with other aspects of identity such as age, sex and so on.
