A Comparative Study On Cross-cultural Identity Of Different Ethnic Groups Chinese Learners In Malaysia

Individuals in different cultures overcome the pressure brought about by unfamiliar language and cultural differences,and acquire a more comprehensive communicative ability and a healthy mentality to form a transcendental identity,this is cross-cultural identity.In the process of contacting Chinese,Chinese learners naturally come into contact with different languages,cultures,ethnic groups and values,which to a certain extent prompts them to have a new understanding of "self" and "other".A cross-cultural identity with the target language country is established.This study takes 301 Malaysian Chinese language learners as the object,selects language,culture,ethnicity and values as the four dimensions of cross-cultural identity.And comprehensively examines the cross-cultural identity of different ethnic groups in Malaysia through questionnaires,data analysis and interviews.Based on the current situation,this paper analyzes the general and specific factors that affect the cross-cultural identity of Chinese learners of different ethnic groups in Malaysia,and draws the following conclusions.In terms of cross-cultural identity,ethnic Chinese learners are generally higher than non-ethnic Chinese learners in the four dimensions of cross-cultural identity.Specifically,ethnic Chinese learners has the highest cultural identity,followed by value identity and language identity,and the lowest ethnic identity;non-ethnic Chinese learners have the highest value identity,followed by cultural identity and ethnic identity,and language identity is the lowest.From the point of view of daily contact,the increased contact of ethnic Chinese with non-ethnic Chinese will reduce learners’ language identity and improve learners’ cultural,ethnic and value identity.Non-ethnic Chinese learners’ increased contact with ethnic Chinese can improve their language,culture and ethnic identity.However,there was no significant effect on value identification.From the perspective of the education system,the education system accepted by Malay Chinese learners includes the national education system and the Chinese education system.Which can form three sources,namely a single national source,a single Chinese source,and a national plus Chinese dual source.Different educational sources have different effects on the identity of ethnic Chinese and non-ethnic Chinese.For ethnic Chinese learners,the language identity of those who accept a single Chinese source is significantly higher than that of those who accept a dual source and a single national source,indicating that accepting the national system will reduce the language identity of the ethnic Chinese learners.Secondly,ethnic Chinese learners of dual origin have significantly higher cultural identity and ethnic identity than those of single origin.It shows that after receiving different education systems,ethnic Chinese learners are more likely to perceive the collision between cultures and ethnic groups,promote thinking about their own identity,and improve their identity with their mother tongue（Chinese）culture and ethnic group.And the longer they receive national education,the higher their value recognition.For non-ethnic Chinese people,the study found that as long as learners have a period of Chinese education experience,they can significantly improve their Chinese language,culture and ethnic identity.And the longer the time of receiving Chinese education,the higher the cross-cultural identity,but the value identity of non-ethnic Chinese is not affected by the source of education.Based on existing research,this paper makes recommendations on how to improve Malaysian cross-cultural identity.