Abstract Drawing on the positioning theory and the conditions for language use, this article examines Vietnamese ethnic minority students’ language choice in interactions with their same-ethnicity and majority peers, focusing particularly on their communication motives underlying this choice. Findings suggest that in regulating their language alternation practices across peer groups in different contexts, the students shifted their participation status – from aligning (being alike) to disaligning (being distinct) – to (re)position themselves in relation to their peers. As their desires for alignment or disalignment were either supported or disrupted by their peers, peer attitudes played a critical role in providing opportunities and encouraging minority students’ willingness to use their L1 in school and ethnic community spaces. Implications are suggested for engaging peer support as a resource for maintaining or widening L1 use among young minority people in both of the domains.

中文翻译：

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同伴互动中的语言选择和同伴在少数民族语言维护中的作用

摘要 本文借鉴定位理论和语言使用条件，考察了越南少数民族学生在与同族裔和多数同龄人交往中的语言选择，特别关注他们做出这种选择的交流动机。研究结果表明，在不同背景下，在跨同龄人群体之间调节他们的语言交替实践时，学生改变了他们的参与状态——从一致（相似）到不一致（不同）——到（重新）定位自己与同龄人的关系。由于他们的一致或不一致的愿望得到了同龄人的支持或破坏，因此同龄人的态度在提供机会和鼓励少数族裔学生愿意在学校和少数民族社区空间中使用他们的 L1 方面发挥了关键作用。