Strategic identity assembly through partial linguistic resources: navigating truncated multilingualism among Indonesian EFL students

Purpose This study examines how six Indonesian EFL university students deploy their truncated linguistic resources to negotiate cultural belonging and academic expectations. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing a relational, interpretivist qualitative design, data were collected through rhizomatic intraviews with students demonstrating fragmented heritage language competencies alongside active English acquisition. Data were analyzed using values coding and matrix displays to capture the fluid, contested nature of identity. Findings The findings unmasked the fact that functional linguistic fluency is not a prerequisite for ethnic identification; instead, students inventively assembled partial competencies into symbolic identity markers to navigate insider/outsider dynamics. Furthermore, while English functioned as an empowering space for digital and global identity experimentation, it reproduced hegemonic native-speaker ideology, inducing linguistic insecurity. Practical implications The findings suggest that educational institutions must embrace pedagogical translanguaging to dismantle raciolinguistic hierarchies, fostering inclusive environments that validate the fragmented linguistic realities of contemporary youth. Social implications This study reconceptualizes multilingual identity as a strategic assembly of unitary repertoires rather than a deficit-driven accumulation of bounded languages. Originality/value The decoupling of linguistic competence from ethnic identification marks fundamental shifts in cultural belonging among multilingual Indonesian youth.