China English In World Englishes

This book fills the gap in World Englishes studies in terms of the pedagogic implication of China English and its use in the Chinese workplace. Using three triangulated methods, namely, questionnaire survey, matched-guise technique, and focused interview, the book adopts an innovative research methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative data from 3,493 participants. Overall, the participants still believe that the standardized Englishes are desirable models of English in China and that China English should be well codified and promoted before being adopted as the pedagogic model. In addition, the book proposes that the curriculum design of university English should include an introduction to the well-defined characteristics of China English and world Englishes. Last but not least, the book reveals that English is being used more widely and frequently in the professional world than before and has become increasingly important in China.

This volume offers a timely collection of original research papers on the various features and issues surrounding Chinese English, one of the varieties in World Englishes with a large and increasing number of learners and users. The five sections entitled ‘Researching Chinese English Pronunciation’, ‘Researching Chinese English Lexis, Grammar and Pragmatics’, ‘Researching Perceptions, Attitudes and Reactions towards Chinese English’, ‘Researching Cultural Conceptualizations and Identities in Chinese English’, and ‘Chinese Scholarship on Chinese English’, bring together three generations of Chinese and overseas researchers, both established and emerging, who offer lively dialogues on the current research, development and future of Chinese English. The introductory chapter by the editors on the state-of-the-art of researching Chinese English, and a concluding chapter by a leading researcher in World Englishes on the future directions for researching Chinese English make this an essential title for those who wish to gain insights on Chinese English.

This volume explores Chinese identity through the lens of both the Chinese and English languages. Until the twentieth century, English was a language associated with capitalists and "military aggressors" in China. However, the massive progression of globalisation in China following the 1980s has transformed the language into an important tool for China’s modernisation. Regardless of the role English plays in China, there has always been a fear there that the spread of culture(s) associated with English would lead to weakening of the Chinese identity. This fear resulted in the development of the ti-yong principle: "Chinese learning for essence (ti), Western learning for utility (yong)." Fong’s book aims to enhance understanding of the ti-yong dichotomy in relation to people’s sense of being Chinese in China, the penetration of English into non-English speaking societies, the resultant tensions in people’s sense of personal and national identity, and their place in the world. Using Q methodology, the book presents observations based on data collected from four participant groups, namely high school and university students, teachers and parents in China, to investigate their perspectives on the status and roles of English, as well as those of Chinese. Considering the growing international interest in China, this volume will appeal to readers interested in China’s contemporary society in general, its language, culture and identity. It will be a useful resource for academics, researchers and students in the field of applied linguistics, language education and Chinese cultural studies and can also be adopted as a reference book for undergraduate courses relating to language, identity and culture.

This book explores the history of the English language in China from the arrival of the first English-speaking traders in the early seventeenth century to the present. Kingsley Bolton brings together and examines a substantial body of historical, linguistic and sociolinguistic research on the description and analysis of English in Hong Kong and China. He uses early wordlists, satirical cartoons and data from journals and memoirs, as well as more conventional sources, to uncover the forgotten history of English in China and to show how contemporary Hong Kong English has its historical roots in Chinese pidgin English. The book also considers the varying status of English in mainland China over time, and recent developments since 1997. With its interdisciplinary perspective, the book will appeal not only to linguists, but to all those working in the fields of Asian studies and English studies, including those concerned with cultural and literary studies.

This book revisits the issue of China English as a developing variety of English and scrutinises students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards their own and other English accents from the critical phenomenological perspective of Global Englishes (GE) in the Chinese context. The research contributes to the field of GE by proposing a model of pronunciation teaching called ToPIC (Teaching of Pronunciation for Intercultural Communication) informed by interculturally responsive language pedagogy. Combining theory and empirical data, the book presents ground-breaking research on accent attitudes in the Chinese context within the GE paradigm and raises issues and concerns regarding teaching English, particularly speaking and pronunciation, from the GE perspective. Unpacking attitudes towards English accents from a critical perspective, this book will both show policy makers the need to consider the impacts of GE and help practitioners and language learners re-evaluate the goals and needs of English learning. The ToPIC approach also has significance for curriculum reform as it readdresses various issues in language policy and practice. The ToPIC approach is recommended for those interested in teaching and learning English in the expanding circle context and those seeking to learn more about learning and using English across the world.

The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes constitutes a comprehensive introduction to the study of World Englishes. Split into six sections with 40 contributions, this Handbook discusses how English is operating in a wide range of fields from business to popular culture and from education to new literatures in English and its increasing role as an international lingua franca. Bringing together more than 40 of the world’s leading scholars in World Englishes, the sections cover historical perspectives, regional varieties of English from across the world, recent and emerging trends and the pedagogical implications and the future of Englishes. The Handbook provides a thorough and updated overview of the field, taking into account the new directions in which the discipline is heading. This second edition includes up-to-date descriptions of a wide range of varieties of English and how these reflect the cultures of their new users, including new chapters on varieties in Bangladesh, Uganda, the Maldives and South Africa, as well as covering hot topics such as translanguaging and English after Brexit. With a new substantial introduction from the editor, the Handbook is an ideal resource for students of applied linguistics, as well as those in related degrees such as applied English language and TESOL/TEFL.

The Handbook of World Englishes is a collection of newly commissioned articles focusing on selected critical dimensions and case studies of the theoretical, ideological, applied and pedagogical issues related to English as it is spoken around the world. Represents the cross-cultural and international contextualization of the English language Articulates the visions of scholars from major varieties of world Englishes – African, Asian, European, and North and South American Discusses topics including the sociolinguistic contexts of varieties of English in the inner, outer, and expanding circles of its users; the ranges of functional domains in which these varieties are used; the place of English in language policies and language planning; and debates about English as a cause of language death, murder and suicide.

This book traces the history of English education in the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to the present day. It uses the junior secondary school curriculum as the means to examine how English curriculum developers and textbook writers have confronted the shifting ambiguities and dilemmas over five distinct historical periods. The study of the processes of curriculum development and the products such as syllabi and textbooks offers insights into the construction of an ‘official’ English, as well as what was considered as acceptable content in English. This book addresses fundamental and significant questions concerning the English promoted in China, namely its characteristics; its changes over time and explanations for such changes; and the kind of content that has been viewed as appropriate for textbooks. To investigate these issues, the analysis draws on qualitative and quantitative data, such as interviews with principal stakeholders and analysis of the syllabus and recommended textbooks. Specifically, it looks at the choice and organization of linguistic components, and the orientation and messages of the curriculum. “Language education in China during the second half of the twentieth century might arguably be called the world’s largest language engineering project. In this comprehensive study, Dr Adamson examines a part of that project by charting the twists and turns of English language education from the pre-revolutionary period to the present. He successfully illustrates how tensions in China’s massive educational system are negotiated from center to periphery, how textbook writers adapt to the socio-political mandates of their time to construct formal school curricula. Adamson also raises significant questions regarding the contradictions inherent in Chinese globalization.” —Heidi Ross, Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, School of Education, Indiana University at Bloomington “Bob Adamson has provided in this book one of the first detailed studies published in English of the history of a school subject in the PRC. The study provides fascinating insights into the changing nature of the English curriculum, the shifting socio-political context of the PRC and their complex inter-relationships.” —Paul Morris, President, The Hong Kong Institute of Education “The learning of English is a crucial aspect of China’s opening up to the world and increasingly prominent global role. This welcome volume provides an in-depth historical perspective on this important subject, including the recent periods of modernization (1978–1993) and globalization (1993 to the present). It should be compelling reading for all those involved with contemporary China across a wide spectrum of areas.” —Ruth Hayhoe, University of Toronto; President Emerita, The Hong Kong Institute of Education