Abstract：The promotion of Putonghua for poverty alleviation has been a crucial aspect of the governmental agenda on language affairs in China. Currently the rural and poverty-stricken regions are the focal areas for Putonghua popularization and promotion. In Minnan (i.e. southern Fujian province) region, where Hokkien is the common speech for local residents, poverty alleviation via Putonghua promotion in rural areas is still an arduous task to accomplish. In this study, the language situation in Minnan rural areas was investigated in order to provide a baseline for further promotional work. A survey of language ability was conducted among 688 rural residents sampled in Minnan region, and the variables of location, age, gender and educational level were taken into account in the analysis. The results show that Putonghua is popularized in the region through constant promotional endeavors, yet the general proficiency of Putonghua in the rural population is still at a low level. The rural area of Zhangzhou will be the major site for Putonghua promotion in the next phase, mainly targeting at the middle-aged group with primary or no education. The authors contend that the promotion of Putonghua is currently not a threat to the maintenance and social status of Hokkien in the region; it will instead nurture more diglossic language users competent in both Hokkien and Putonghua.
付义荣，胡 萍. 闽南农村语言状况调查[J]. 语言战略研究, 2020, 5(6): 58-68.
Fu Yirong and Hu Ping. A Survey on the Language Situation in Rural Areas of Minnan Region. , 2020, 5(6): 58-68.
