Language Policy And Identity In Urban China

Language matters in China because it is inseparable from any discourse about power, identity, opportunities, and nationalism. The purpose of this study is to explore language ideology and usage in urban Shanghai. First, it presents a historical analysis of the political developments that have shaped language policy in China until the present day. The complexities of language policy making and implementation, including the effects of policy on Chinese dialects and the social forces that constrain the policy process, are taken into consideration. To determine the relationship between language policy and ideology in practice, this study then applies a sociolinguistic analysis to observed perceptions of individuals within an urban youth community. The data show that language policy has a significant effect on shaping language practice, yet in the post-reform era of China's modernization these practices are increasingly influenced by forces of globalization and the market economy. Findings also demonstrate the complex relationship between language and policy in the construction of identities, and the significance of language as social capital. Drawing on the author's experience as a participant observer in Shanghai's youth subculture community, this study contributes to a growing body of research on urban subcultures in contemporary China.