Linguistics and Ethnic Identity in Yunnan

The concept of World Englishes was put forth in acknowledgement of the variations observed in the English language across time and space most especially in light of globalization and migrations. In the same vein, a recent study on the Chinese language proposes " World Chineses " (全球華語) which seeks to track and investigate the variances of the wide array of Chinese languages and dialects. Seemingly homogenous China is revealed to be in fact diverse in terms of languages and the creation of a standard language, Chinese Mandarin (普 通 話) is seen within the framework of language ideology. Language ideology, broadly defined in this paper as the perceptions on the hierarchies and usage of a specific language, seeks to uncover the rise and fall on the use of Chinese languages in the context of 20 th century China. Select countries and regions to which Chinese migration has a history of shall also be explored for ethnographic data, but these will constitute an exploratory work as part of this paper's limitations due to time constraints.

2018

Language endangerment is a severe problem for the ethnic minorities including the Pumi people in Yunnan, China. To explicate the reasons why the Pumi language endangered, we investigate the relationship between language attitudes and ethnic identity of the Pumi. We have undertaken a data collection from 40 subjects from Lanping County. The results show that the Pumi people have an objective and positive attitude towards their native language and their ethnic identity. A Spearman correlation analysis shows that ethnic identity positively correlated with language attitudes, and the euphonic and cordial degree of language is also positively related to the proficiency of the native language. However, the proficiency has the scarce correlation with ethnic identity. An analysis of the interviews indicated that the local government of Pumi had promoted the publicity of language preservation which played an important role in awakening the passion of the Pumi people to learn their language.

The study of language contact epitomizes the dynamics of language as a system of human communication. The competing linguistic forces at work when speakers of different language varieties come into contact can be narrowed down to two basic concepts––convergence and divergence. Looking at linguistic areas using a macro approach, languages in contact tend to show convergence across all structural levels through diffusion and borrowing, but nevertheless, linguistic diversity persists in regions of high interethnic language contact. Ethnicity often plays a significant role in constructing identity, therefore a speaker’s linguistic choices can reflect ethnic identity and intergroup relations. Because these processes occur in and as a result of complex societies, “studies of interethnic language contact must begin by understanding the context in which speakers in a community construct their own ethnicity, as well as the ideologies that affect how they view other groups” (Fought 2013: 395). Southwest China is a particularly interesting region for language contact research because high levels of ethnolinguistic diversity in remote areas perpetuates traditional interethnic contact relations while these same groups are also currently under social and economic pressure to assimilate to mainstream Chinese society. This dissertation describes the social context of language contact in Yunnan Province’s Wuding County, an under-researched mountainous county with more than half of the population classified as non-Han ethnic minorities. Speakers of at least eight Ngwi varieties (Lolo-Burmese, Tibeto- Burman), two Hmong varieties, and one Tai variety are represented in villages across the county, although speaker numbers are diminishing due to widespread shift to Mandarin Chinese. This dissertation presents original ethnolinguistic maps of the distribution of ethnic minority villages in the county followed by two localized studies of interethnic contact scenarios in a Yi village area. A demographic survey of reported language proficiency in Miqie and Geipo households illustrates the role of access and geographic location in the rate of language shift to Mandarin; while the second study discusses the role of ethnic identity in persisting Miqie and Geipo language variation in intermarried households in the same village area. These studies highlight the dynamic social context in which language is used and changes for constructing identity and improving social mobility for speakers of languages facing endangerment in a rapidly changing society.

2011

Journal of Chinese Overseas, 2021

Since independence in 1965, the Singapore government has established a strongly mandated education policy with an English-first and official mother tongue Mandarin-second bilingualism. A majority of local-born Chinese have inclined toward a Western rather than Chinese identity, with some scholars regarding English as Singapore’s “new mother tongue.” Other research has found a more local identity built on Singlish, a localized form of English which adopts expressions from the ethnic mother tongues. However, a re-emergent China and new waves of mainland migrants over the past two decades seem to have strengthened Chinese language ideologies in the nation’s linguistic space. This article revisits the intriguing relationships between language and identity through a case study of Chineseness among young ethnic Chinese Singaporeans. Guided by a theory of identity and investment and founded on survey data, it investigates the Chinese language ideologies of university students and their age...

2020

2017

To date, there has not been a large corpus of research looking at how different Chinese populations perceive language to be a part of their Chinese ethnicity. Even where this has been done, no attempts have been made to compare these perceptions across Chinese populations of different polities, to see if and how they differ. To fill this gap, this paper examines and compares the relationship between Mandarin-Chinese, " dialects " , and English, and the construction of Chinese ethnicity amongst Chinese Malaysians, Chinese Singaporeans, and Mainland Chinese. It does this through a questionnaire study employing 100 participants from each group, taking into account beliefs about the importance of these languages to the everyday experience of being Chinese, self-declared language proficiency, and self-declared language use. The results of the study suggest that " dialects " are becoming less important to Chinese ethnicity amongst all three groups, particularly amongst Chinese Singaporeans. Meanwhile, English is becoming more important amongst Chinese Malaysians and Chinese Singaporeans, once again particularly amongst the latter. While Chinese Malaysians continue to perceive Mandarin-Chinese as being the language most important to Chinese ethnicity, Chinese Singaporeans' beliefs reflect English's dominance over Mandarin-Chinese in nearly every aspect of everyday social life. These findings underscore how Chinese ethnicities in different parts of the world need to be understood on their own terms, and how language can be a vital clue as to how different Chinese ethnicities are constructed in the global context.

Frontiers of Education in China, 2015

China's assimilationist language policy: The impact on indigenous/minority literacy and social harmony. Gulbahar H. Beckett and Gerard A. Postiglione (Eds.). Abingdon, England and New York, NY: Routledge, 2012. xiii + 231 pp., (hardcover), $165.00, ISBN: 978-0-415-59605-3.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2017

In mainland China, most ethnic minority students today face the challenge of learning three languages in schools, namely, their home language (L1), Mandarin Chinese (L2) and a foreign language, usually English (L3). Research into trilingual education for minority groups has been most active since the turn of the twenty-first century. This paper offers an overview of recent research, depicting major models adopted by minority schools and the contextual factors leading to the models in various minority regions in China. The paper begins with an account of state policies relevant to language provision for minority groups in China, which is followed by a discussion of the outcomes and models of trilingual education. A critical analysis is then made of contextual factors such as ethnolinguistic vitality, history, economy, geopolitics and the changing status of the three languages that affect trilingual education for minority groups. The paper argues that language policymaking in different domains including families, schools, regions and the state should be informed by research evidence on practical models that are effective in meeting the cognitive and affective needs of children from ethnic minority backgrounds.