The future of English as a lingua franca in China from the perspectives of Chinese culture and language ideology

Wang, Ying and Wen, Qiufang (2016) The future of English as a lingua franca in China from the perspectives of Chinese culture and language ideology. The 9th International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF9), Lleida, Spain. 26 - 28 Jun 2016.

Abstract

Along with the globalization of economy, English spreads out at an unprecedented pace both around the world at large and in China in particular. Given the scholarly speculation that “the realignment of global economic powers, particularly the rise of China and India as the dominant economies of the twenty-first century, has implications for the role of English” (e.g. Pennycook 2010: 674), we hope to contribute to the discussion by bringing in the insights from the perspectives of Chinese culture and language ideology.

In this paper, we will discuss some future possibilities of English in China with a particular focus on the development of ELF in this context. We will discuss the implications of traditional Chinese values for ELF in China, with the focus on the divergence between heism (?) in Chinese culture, which encourages diversity in harmony, and Chinese value of a single written language, a unified transport system, and the same weighing scales (???????????) throughout a country. We will also present empirical data showing language ideologies, which relate to the struggle and ambivalence between tolerance of difference in English and aspiration for uniformity of English. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, we hope to understand the future of ELF in China and join the current debates on English in relation to China.

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