Psychological and linguistic identities in a Thai EFL/ELF context

This paper reports on a qualitative research into EFL undergraduate students’ intercultural experiences with a focus on feelings of security and dignity in a Thai context. Thirty-eight students voluntarily participated in the study and their encounters revealed that they had to go through processes of constructing and negotiating their multiple identities in three different stages. The identities they constructed and negotiated associated with not only English inability they perceived but also their negative and positive emotions they felt before, during and after interactions. Their Thai cultural background deeply embedded in their being, such as reluctance to impose (kreng-jai) upon interactions and fear of face-loss, appeared to influence the processes. Being refused, majoring in Business English, expectation in effective communication and unintelligibility were key situational features attacking their face leading the students to intercultural conflicts and lack of security and dignity. Their foreign interlocutors’ friendliness, willingness to interact and language accommodation were key situational features restoring their face. The study offers useful insights for EFL teachers and learners as well as implications for the present context.