Language and Cultural Identity in Chinese English Varieties

Author: Pan Zhangxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The international status of the United Kingdom has contributed to the diversification of English, giving it a multicultural identity and a broad context for cross-cultural communication. Although research on World Englishes is burgeoning internationally, scholars generally agree that diverse linguistic and cultural identities are reflected in the various English varieties around the world. However, in China, research on World Englishes has garnered less attention, and understanding of Chinese English varieties remains vague, with many equating it to interlanguage. This book is one of the most systematic and comprehensive works in recent years to analyze this topic. From a sociolinguistic perspective, it systematically examines the formation and development of Chinese English varieties, as well as the users' identity with both their native language and English in terms of language and culture. Additionally, the book innovatively proposes a "Three-Dimensional Contextual Network" framework to describe and explain the changes in Chinese English and other non-native English varieties. Through a three-dimensional perspective of time, space, and function, it provides a panoramic view of the emergence and development of language varieties and describes their localization features. Finally, by exploring Chinese English varieties and English varieties from around the world, the book summarizes the general patterns of non-native English varieties and re-examines theoretical issues in World Englishes research. It revises Kenji Hakuta's "Three Coaxial Circles" model and proposes the concept that dynamic, developing English varieties around the world form a continuum.