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Full Chapter Chinese Sociolinguistics Language and Identity in Greater China 1St Edition Chunsheng Yang PDF
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Chinese Sociolinguistics
Chunsheng Yang
Designed cover image: bpperry via Getty Images
First published 2024
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2024 Chunsheng Yang
The right of Chunsheng Yang to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-032-38243-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-38242-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-34416-2 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003344162
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Access the Support Material: www.routledge.com/9781032382425
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Index
Acknowledgements
References
Chen, P. (1999). Modern Chinese: History and sociolinguistics.
Cambridge University Press.
Ramsey, S. R. (1987). The language of China. Princeton University
Press.
Zhou, Y. (2003). The historical evolution of Chines language and
scripts. National East Asian Languages Resources Center, The
Ohio State University.
1 Laying the Foundation
DOI: 10.4324/9781003344162-1
1.1 Introduction
Identity is a concept integral to various disciplines, such as literature,
sociolinguistics, sociology, anthropology, and political science. The
Latin stem for the word “identity” is idem, meaning sameness
(Edwards, 2009, p. 19), which in this case implies an unchanging
human nature, namely the stable features that supersede age,
biological sex at birth, and ethnicity. As one matures, identity comes
to signify the continuity and connectedness of the “selves” at various
stages of the life trajectory (Edwards, 2009, p. 19). It is the
“dynamic and situated accomplishments enacted through talk, and
changing from one occasion to the next” (Tracy, 2002, pp. 17–18),
which we constantly build and negotiate “throughout our lives
through our interaction with others” (Thornborrow, 2004). In this
sense, identity is not stable and static; rather, it is dynamic, situated,
and varies depending on the context and situation. The dynamic side
is equally, if not more, important in that it is socially and situationally
constructed. After all, humans are social beings.
During social interactions, people may be connected or
disconnected by identity, meaning that those who share similar
aspects of identity are attracted to each other, while those who don’t
may feel indifferent about each other (of course, some people may
be attracted to differences as well). In this sense, identity may also
predict relationships between people and groups (Edwards, 2009, p.
20). Compared to identity at the personal or individual level, social
or group identity is much more relevant to perceptions and attitudes
about language. However, as Edwards (2009, p. 20) argues, the
former is both a component and a reflection of particular social (or
cultural) identities. Therefore, analysis of individual identity will also
provide a window into understanding social identity.
An eternal tension exists between “who I am” and “who others
think I am” based on one’s multiple identifications with others on the
basis of social, cultural, and biological characteristics as well as
shared values, personal histories, and interests (Buckingham, 2008,
p. 1). Thus, identity is multifaceted, fluid, and complex. While “who I
am” may seem relatively stable, this is not necessarily so in many
cases, especially when we try to identify with different groups of
people. As a Chinese individual, I can easily identify with other
Chinese people when I am there. However, I can also identify with
people of other ethnicities on different levels. In the summer of
2016, I led a study abroad program in China for University of
Connecticut students. While visiting South Gong and Drum Lane, a
popular tourist destination in Beijing, I was holding a small UConn
flag which attracted the attention of two American students who
were fellow Huskies. This spark of recognition in a foreign place
inspired them to come up and chat with us. At that moment, our
shared identity brought all of us closer. So my Chinese identity and
UConn professor identity came together in this instance.
1.3.2 Dialects
A dialect is a variety of a language that is specific to a region or
group. A given language may have several dialects. For example,
Chinese can be classified into the following seven dialect groups
(Yuan, 1989): Mandarin (guanhua) is spoken by over 90% of the
total population; Wu is mainly spoken in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and
Zhejiang; Yue or Cantonese is prevalent in Guangdong, Guangxi, and
Hong Kong and many traditional Chinatowns overseas; Min is mainly
spoken in Fujian and Taiwan; Kejia (Hakka) is prevalent in parts of
Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, and other parts of China as well as
Southeastern Asia; Xiang is spoken in Hunan; and Gan is spoken in
Jiangxi. Dialects may have vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation
(Edwards, 2009, p. 63) that differ from the standard language and
may not be mutually intelligible, as is the case in China. Very often,
adjacent dialects of one language may be mutually intelligible,
whereas those distant from each other may not be. Therefore,
dialects of a language may fall on a continuum in terms of
intelligibility. Such instances can be found throughout the world,
such as varieties of Slovak, Czech, Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian
(Edwards, 2009, p. 63). However, in some cases, even adjacent
dialects may be mutually unintelligible, such as the sub-dialects of
Gan. Although people from various parts of Ji’an City in Jiangxi
Province all speak the Gan dialect, its sub-dialects are often very
different from each other, due to dialect contact derived from
domestic migration over thousands of years, that people have
resorted to using accented Mandarin to communicate, rather than
their own dialects. 隔山不同音, 隔水不同调 “There may be different
accents on either side of a mountain, just as there may be different
tunes on either side of a river” is a very vivid but somewhat
exaggerated Chinese saying that depicts this linguistic phenomenon;
that is to say, geographical barrier may lead to the formation of
dialects on either side of the barrier.
Discussion questions
1. Please discuss the following response from Queen Elizabeth I
to a French ambassador. “Though the sex to which I belong
is considered weak . . . you will nevertheless find me a rock
that bends to no wind.”
2. The United States is a country of immgrants from all over
the world. How do people from different ethnic backgrounds
maintain their heritage (and their heritage languages)? What
issues and challenges do they face?
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