ABSTRACT
Apartheid South Africa established race as the primary determinant of identity politically, economically, and socially. This racial identity in many cases reinforced ethnic groupings of those who share common ancestral experiences, homeland, cultural practices, and language, among other things. Literature on the language and identity nexus is divided: one perspective denotes a strong link while the other takes a more situational view. Some scholars consider the relationship between language and cultural identity to be interdependent and inseparable. The first Chinese in South Africa arrived in the late 1870s. They came mainly from Guangzhou province and settled in the former Transvaal as well as in various coastal areas. This chapter focuses on a case study of the Chinese communities living in Pretoria, South Africa. Factors that influence immigrant experiences provide a lens for examining identity and language shifts at the micro-level, as well as perceived meanings of identity and language usage.
