Spatiotemporal Stratification of Heritage Language and Identity among 1.5-Generation Chinese Youth in Australia#br#

Wang Yining and Zhang Jie

Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2026, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (3) : 75-87.

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Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2026, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (3) : 75-87. DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20260306

Spatiotemporal Stratification of Heritage Language and Identity among 1.5-Generation Chinese Youth in Australia#br#

  • Wang Yining and Zhang Jie
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Abstract

Compared with second-generation immigrants born in the host country, the so-called 1.5 generation immigrants—those who migrate during childhood or early adolescence with their parents—generally face the dual challenges of heritage language attrition and the reconstruction cultural identities. This study focuses on 1.5-generation Chinese immigrants who moved to Australia between the ages of 4 and 13. Drawing on the critical period hypothesis and a “time–space–identity” model, it examines how age at migration shapes distinct language trajectories and identity formations through spatiotemporal interaction. Based on data collected from 25 adolescents and their parents through family questionnaires, interviews, ethnographic observations, and voluntarily provided written materials, the study reveals: (1) Children who migrated between ages 4 and 7 typically undergo systematic attrition of Chinese and tend toward an Australian dominant, unidirectional identity orientation; 
(2) Those who migrated between ages 8 and 10 generally retain basic oral Chinese proficiency but experience a precipitous decline in literacy, accompanied by instrumental orientation of cultural identification; and (3) Adolescents who migrated between ages 11 and 13 demonstrate fluent spoken Chinese but limited academic literacy, resulting in a functional division between “everyday Chinese” and “academic English”, alongside a pronounced ethnic identity and ongoing processes of identity reconstruction. Overall, the findings reveal a clear “age gradient effect” and propose a tiered intervention model—remedial, transitional, and integrative—to support heritage language retention and identity development. This research offers theoretical grounding and policy insights for international Chinese language education in overseas Chinese communities.

Key words

1.5-generation / heritage language maintenance / cultural identity / critical period hypothesis / time–space–identity model

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Wang Yining and Zhang Jie. Spatiotemporal Stratification of Heritage Language and Identity among 1.5-Generation Chinese Youth in Australia#br#[J]. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. 2026, 11(3): 75-87 https://doi.org/10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20260306

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