Individual language policy is a complete and well-conducted overview of the language practices, beliefs, and management of bilingual youth in Vietnam. The author conducted twenty-eight in-depth qualitative interviews that provided a compelling collection of minority youth's experiences. Selected participants belong to six ethnic groups in Vietnam and know at least three languages: their ethnic language (L1), Vietnamese (L2, the language of the majority group), and English (learnt as a foreign language).
Nguyen explores the idea that minority youth confront constant negotiations between maintenance and transformation, that is, respectively, their desire to preserve their ethnic values and language and their wish to be part of the mainstream society. The author examined this issue through three angles related to individual language policy: practised language policy, perceived language policy, and negotiated language policy.
First, the youth's practised language policy is conditioned by different domains, such as family-ethnic community, church, school, and wider society. The last two domains seemed to provide the perfect conditions for Vietnamese integration, while family and church were spaces most dedicated to L1 preservation. However, youth also can exert their influence and change the paradigm, for example, by introducing Vietnamese (L2) into communication with parents.
Second, the perceived language policy refers to their language ideology, whether supporting maintenance or advocating for transformation. For instance, one of Nguyen's findings is that youth's self-enhancement is strongly connected with their ability to speak Vietnamese and English. Nevertheless, some beliefs aimed at the maintenance of their ethnicity. Thus, bilingualism is considered a valued resource, and using L1 is seen as a manifestation of ethnic solidarity and loyalty.
Third, the youth's negotiated language policy concerns how they manage their language practices and beliefs under explicit and external intervention, either by institutions and community forces or by individuals. This management is part of identity configuration and might contribute to the process of L1 preservation or that of alignment closer to mainstream society. Indeed, youth can exercise their agency by adapting their practices to external exigences or by refusing to modify their language behaviours.
Overall, the book succeeds in providing a comprehensive overview of the minority language situation in Vietnam. However, the author's membership in the majority Vietnamese ethnic group could have potentially influenced the responses of some interviewees. It would be compelling to contrast these findings with outcomes from research conducted by an indigenous ethnic minority investigator for further insights. One of the book's strengths is its innovative theoretical contribution to the discussion on language policy. In contrast to the extensive literature related to institutions, communities, and families, Nguyen focused on the language policy at the individual level, which is certainly accountable for daily practices and the future vitality of languages. Thus, this work will be highly valuable for the examination of regions facing comparable circumstances: a strong tendency among youth to transform and integrate into the majority norms, despite their connection with their ethnic values.
