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2024 Vol. 9, No. 6
Published: 2024-11-10
1
Introduction: A Brief Discussion on Language Research of the Classic of Poetry (
Shijing
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Xiang Xi
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 1-1 [
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Multi-perspective Discussion
: Hinton, Chomsky and the Development of Linguistics
Feng Zhiwei, Chen Guohua, Li Yuming, Chen Baoya, Yuan Yulin, Sun Maosong, Xu Jie, Si Fuzhen, Zhan Weidong, Wan Quan, Wang Wei and Liu Chang
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 5-17 [
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18
Interdisciplinary Talk:
Language Issues in Grassroots Social Governance
He Congzhi, Song Biao and Zhao Qiuyan
Linguistic Concerns in Rural Social Investigation ...
He Congzhi
Using Local Discourse to Articulate Rural Policy ...
Song Biao
From “Regulation” to “Governance”: A Leap Forward in the Context of Social Governance Modernization ...
Zhao Qiuyan
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 18-23 [
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24
The Evolution of Language Life in Rural China: A Statistical Data Perspective
Fu Yirong
DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20240601
By using the national and continuous survey data released by relevant Chinese authorities, in combination with existing local research on rural sociolinguistics, a comprehensive assessment of the social situation and language life in rural China can be conducted. The data indicate that, since the Reform and Opening-up, China’s rural society has been undergoing a transformation from traditional to modern structures. In terms of population trend, the proportion of rural population has fallen below that of urban population, and continues to decline, with significant regional disparities. In terms of agricultural development, the proportion of agricultural output and labor force has decreased significantly compared to the secondary and tertiary industries. The rural labor force has increasingly shifted from agriculture to other industries, forming a large group of migrant workers. This shift has contributed to the social differentiation of rural areas and facilitated either the upgrading of traditional agriculture or the emergence of new agricultural models. With respect to rural communities, the population concentration in urban areas has led to frequent reorganization of rural communities. The number of villages and townships has sharply decreased, while the number of towns has grown significantly. Consequently, rural communities are transitioning from natural communities to government-planned communities. This process of modern transformation has had a profound impact on rural language life. Some traditional language phenomena are gradually disappearing. For instance, traditional agricultural vocabulary is being lost, and some Chinese dialects and minority languages are being endangered and require urgent preservation efforts. Simultaneously, new linguistic phenomena are emerging, such as increased bilingualism in ethnic minority communities, while the self-productive evolution of Chinese dialects is weakening, necessitating immediate attention. Additionally, potential language problems are on the horizon, including the need to enhance the language ability of the new generation of farmers, and address the language governance and service requirements stemming from township restructuring. An in-depth investigation into the rapidly changing language life in rural China is not only essential for advancing Chinese sociolinguistics on a global level, but also crucial for supporting China’s rural revitalization.
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 24-35 [
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36
The Role of Genealogical Record Compilation in Contributing to Rural Cultural Revitalization: A Case Study of Zhuli Village
Zhou Hongbo and Zhao Chunyan
DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20240602
The compilation and revision of genealogical and village records are closely related to language affairs and represents a promising rural language cause. This study, taking the genealogical and village record compilation in Zhuli Village, Jixi County, Anhui Province as a case, views the compilation process as a practice of language policy and planning. Through participant observation and in-depth interviews, the study investigates how various social forces participate, implement practices, and produce effects in this process. The article divides the compilation process of Zhuli Village’s genealogical records into three parts: subjects, practices, and extensions. It examines and organizes the process from eight dimensions: elites and masses, closed and open systems, documentation and oral history, group and self, blood ties and geographical bonds, adherences to tradition and change, traditional media and new media, and migration and identity. These eight pairs of concepts could be pegged to eight relationships of power: top vs. bottom, inside vs. outside, literate vs. oral, public vs. private, intimate vs. distant, nominal vs. actual, old vs. new, and division vs. unity. The process of compilation is one of balancing these social forces, whose interaction defines the outcome. The study finds that the compilation of genealogical records plays a unique role in cultural awareness and cultural reconstruction. From the perspective of language policy and planning, three recommendations emerge from our findings: (1) the project grounded in the new era, to encourage mass active participation and mobilize their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity; (2) place equal emphasis on ancient and modern history, particularly recording the progress of the new era to create history of the people; (3) make good use of new forms to showcase natural landscapes, folk customs, and local brand cuisine, thereby enhancing the cultural tourism brand’s visibility.
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 36-47 [
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48
Language Practices and the Construction of Rural Social Capital in Shuibei Village, Yixing City
Yin Zhiping
DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20240603
The cultivation of rural social capital can provide support for the realization of rural revitalization strategies, with language playing an indispensable role in the construction of social capital. Through ethnographic interviews with villagers, village committee officials, village enterprise leaders, and migrant workers in Shuibei Village, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, this study examines language practices from three perspectives: “outward mobility”, “inward mobility”, and “staying behind”. It was found that diverse language practices have transformed Shuibei village into a diglossia community, where varying levels of shared language among different groups have different impacts on the construction of rural social capital: Higher levels of shared language between outward enterprise personnel and customers in the villages, as well as between incoming cadres of the village committee and local residents have facilitated the establishment of a good trust-based relationship with business partners and constituents; Conversely, the lack of shared language between grandparents and grandchildren affects the socialization of children and the cultivation of their social norms. Similarly, and the lack of shared language between external investigators and villagers results in the ineffectiveness of promoting civic norms. Additionally, limited shared language with villagers has hindered incoming village workers from building close social networks with villagers. Trust, norms, and networks are the main elements and forms of social capital, which can enhance the efficiency of society by promoting cooperative behavior. In the future practice of rural revitalization, attention should be paid to language planning not only in furthering villagers’
Putonghua
proficiency but also in focusing on improving villagers’ ability to apply language technology as well as to the learning, cultivation, and enhancement of dialect proficiency among rural children and migrant workers.
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 48-59 [
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60
Current Status and Reflections on the Informatization of Overseas Chinese Language Education
Zhu Xiaohong and Yu Jiang
DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20240604
Drawing upon a comprehensive survey of the current worldwide situation regarding the application of information technology in teaching Chinese language to overseas Chinese, this study attempts to address the two major concerns for practitioners of overseas Chinese language education. The findings show that information technology application is an essential path toward the modernization of Chinese language education for overseas Chinese and an inevitable requirement for its high-quality development. Currently, four major achievements have been made in Chinese language education informatization:
(1) abundant and diverse categories of digital resources with multi-stakeholder participation in supply; (2) active online Chinese language instruction with rich programming manifested in a variety of projects and activities; (3) high internet adoption rate among Chinese language education institutions with basic digitalization of informatized management systems; (4) robust information technology mechanisms with prominent institutions playing a key role. However, there are three challenges remain: (1) insufficient integration and sharing mechanisms for digital resources; (2) inadequate integration between technological resources and educational practices; (3) relatively lagging policy support and infrastructure development. Based on the achievements and challenges as forementioned, this paper suggests that in the future, the primary components of Chinese language education informatization should encompass at least six aspects: (1) advancing digital infrastructure construction; (2) strengthening digital resource development; (3) establishing digital resource platforms; (4) implementing smart Chinese language education; (5) cultivating information technology professionals for Chinese language teaching; (6) optimizing digital service platforms. Given current resource constraints, two priority areas could serve as breakthrough pathways: (1) developing a “Global Smart Service Comprehensive Platform for Chinese Language Education”; (2) enhancing the digital literacy of Chinese language teachers.
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 60-71 [
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A Study of Non-instructional Factors Affecting the Heritage Language Proficiency of Overseas Chinese Students in Japan
Wei Jiubao and Wang Wenhao
DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20240605
Compared to research on learning Chinese as a foreign language, studies on overseas Chinese students reveal a significant difference: in addition to instructional factors, non-instructional factors should also be emphasized. In this study, a survey was conducted among students of grades five through nine (aged 11 to 15) at a Chinese school in Japan. In addition, interviews were conducted with Chinese language teachers, school administrators, and parents. The results show that eight non-instructional factors significantly impact the students’ proficiency in their heritage language across the individual, family, and societal levels. These factors include the family’s linguistic environment, gender, experience of living in China, Chinese ancestry, first language, nationality, place of birth, and generation in Japan. A predictive model constructed based on these factors can account for nearly 40% of the variation in their heritage language proficiency. This finding encourages a rethinking of international Chinese education: from an “international” perspective, China is merely one of the sites of international Chinese education, and teaching Chinese as a heritage language should, alongside teaching Chinese as a second language, become a dual focus of international Chinese education. From an “educational” perspective, all factors—including language learning, classroom instruction, learning motivation, individual background, family environment, and sociocultural context—should be included in the full scope of research on international Chinese education.
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 72-84 [
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85
A Study of the Issues and Optimization Paths for the Sustainable Development of Indonesian Trilingual Schools
Wang Lin and Chen Tao
DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20240606
In recent years, trilingual schools have become a new battlefield for spreading Mandarin and the Chinese culture in Indonesia. However, in the process of achieving high-quality development goals, these schools tend to rely on the outside world, and lack a holistic view and internal strength. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 personnel related to these schools, and NVivo 12 software was used to code and analyze the interview data. The findings show that the key factors that affect the sustainable development of these schools include organizational and personal factors of the human system, as well as material and consciousness factors of non-human systems. Respondents place more emphasis on human actors and place greater emphasis on material factors when it comes to non-human factors. Opinions differ on the identification of the core actors, but undoubtedly principals and school administrators (Director of the Chinese Department) should be regarded as the core actors. The problem with the sustainable development of these schools is that there are significant differences in needs and perspectives among heterogeneous actors, resulting in a dispersed development network. Due to its reliance on external conditions for support and lack of internal driving force, the development network is inefficient. The lack of deep cooperation among various actors has left the development network in a closed state. To transform the endogenous development path of Indonesian trilingual schools, it is suggested that these schools should 1) strengthen the connectivity of the network and enhance the development support; 2) reshape network functions and enhance the internal driving force and effectiveness of transformation and development from horizontal functional integration, vertical hierarchical integration, and other dimensions; 3) develop network relationships and construct diverse collaborative innovation mechanisms through cross-border deep integration.
2024 Vol. 9 (6): 85-96 [
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