Ethnicity and North American English: An Investigation into the Role of Heritage Language on Asian American English

Abstract

It is clear that ethnicity can play a role in language variation –
this is a relationship that has long interested modern
sociolinguists. This paper investigates a lesser-studied ethnic
group, Asian Americans, for the potential identification of an
Asian American ethnolect, specifically through the lens of
heritage language and ethnicity. Approached through a
literature review, this paper strives to identify key linguistic
markers that appear in different studies. 5 key pieces of
research in this area were identified and reviewed and it was
found that there are some markers that appear across multiple
studies as identifiers of Asian American speech. While none of
the studies reach a definitive conclusion, all show the potential
and need for further research. This paper emphasizes the need
to consider racial identity as a variable when considering
group belonging and ethnolects.