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Article published In:
International Journal of Language and Culture
Vol. 10:1 (2023) ► pp.54–86

Choice of language in the construction of cultural identity by Tamil speakers in India

 | National Institute of Technology Calicut
 | Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Individuals in multilingual societies are associated with several culturally diverse groups, and so their cultural identity is multifarious and subject to constant change across time and space as a result of increasing intercultural engagements. While cultural norms are essentially embedded in one’s language, the choice of language is understood as a significant tool in projecting the cultural identity of a linguistic community. This paper examines how language choice becomes an agency for Tamil speakers in India to construct their cultural identity. Contextualized among native Tamil speakers in Chennai, the capital city of the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu, this study unravels the narratives by which the speakers’ specific language preference in family, friendship, and institutional domains is used to perform identities and maintain a community consciousness. It also examines the role of language ideologies in contributing to their choices. The study finds that despite the penetration of English into all three domains in varying degrees, Tamil remains the ‘pride’ and the preferred language for all. This affinity is driven by ideological discourses surrounding the cultural history of Tamizhakam, from which arise the need to form a distinct Tamil identity.
Keywords: Tamil, language choices, narratives, identity construction, language ideology
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Conceptualizing identity construction through language choice
    • 2.1The interplay of ideology and identity
    • 2.2Domain theory as a dominant yet ‘incomplete’ framework for examining identity
    • 2.3Dissecting the domains for habits and narratives; towards an integrated approach
  • 3.The linguistic landscape of Tamil Nadu
  • 4.Situating the current study
  • 5.Methodology
    • 5.1Classification of participants
    • 5.2Data collection procedures
  • 6.Thematic data analysis
    • 6.1Tamizh: The pride of Tamils
    • 6.2English as a necessity: A facilitator of upward mobility and bridge between different communities in the domestic and international milieu
    • 6.3Hindi as a language is admirable, but not its top-down imposition
  • 7.Discussion
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 January 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00045.eld
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