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4 - Heritage Languages in China

from Part I - Heritage Languages around the World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

By
Linda Tsung  and
Lubei Zhang
Edited by
Silvina Montrul  and
Maria Polinsky
Silvina Montrul
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Maria Polinsky
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park
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Summary

China is one of the most multilingual countries in the world. The government of the People’s Republic of China promotes the country as a harmonious and unified nation with 56 distinct ethnic groups who speak more than 400 heritage languages. The government has not only legally recognized multilingualism but also publicly encouraged a climate where the teaching and learning of a variety of heritage languages can flourish. This chapter provides insights into our understanding of Chinese language policy and implementation and heritage language maintenance and is based on empirical research and case studies in China’s multilingual regions and provinces. It examines the application of the Chinese government’s language policy and heritage language practices over the last 30 years with its underlying language ideology and practices, revealing de facto language policies. While modern standard Chinese (Putonghua) continues to be a powerful factor in both consolidating and probing educational, cultural, social, and political discourse as well as the spatial environment, Xi Jinping’s recent “One Belt and One Road” project has created a new linguistic environment, which has affected the use of heritage languages within diverse minority groups. This has accelerated the deep concern shared among those advocating heritage language maintenance in China.

Keywords

heritage languageminority languageethnic groupsPutonghualanguage maintenancespecial environmentlanguage vitalityendangered languageslanguage family
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics , pp. 91 - 110
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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