Diaspora: multilingual and intercultural communication across time and space

The nature of diaspora is changing in the 21st century. Yet many of the communication issues remain the same. At the heart of it is multilingual and intercultural communication across time and space. There is much that applied linguists can contribute to the understanding of diaspora in the era of globalization. This article discusses some of the core issues of communication between the diaspora and the homeland, the past and the present, the individual and the community, and the sense of belonging and the ascribed category with a detailed analysis of empirical data collected through linguistic ethnography in the Chinese diaspora in Britain and elsewhere. It also highlights the significance of dynamic multilingualism in everyday communication.