A Study Of China English From Cognitive Sociolinguistic Perspective

With the development of English globalization, English has become Englishes around the world. B.B. Kachru’s study proved that China English is an objective existence as a variety of English in the Expanding Circle of World Englishes. China English, which is different from Chinese English, is a language variation that grows out of the Chinese socio-cultural context. It conforms to the grammatical norms of English, meanwhile keeps the China-specific cultural features.The study of China English has developed for several decades, and the present thesis attempts to explore China English from a new perspective, that is, Cognitive Sociolinguistics. It is an interdisciplinary study of cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics, and has been applied to the research of institutionalized second language variation of World Englishes. This thesis will employ the approaches of Cognitive Sociolinguistics to the study of China English, and hoping to find a new approach to China English research.China English is a member of World Englishes family. Its emergence is inevitable as result of the expanding and evolving of English language world-wide. The reason for that, on the one hand, is the wide spread of English; on the other hand, is the rapid development of China’s economy, which has led to the frequent international communication. As a result, more and more native English speakers are attracted by Chinese culture. In the process of communicating with the rest of the world, the use of China English definitely carries with its social and cultural features. And these features are influenced by the factors of Chinese way of thinking, cultural context, political and economical conditions, etc. Under this circumstance, the present thesis employed the approaches of cultural model, metaphor/metonymy, etc. from the perspective of Cognitive Sociolinguistics to analyze the semantic and lectal variations of China English, and the cognitive motivations of it. The political and economic discourses in China English and the social meaning in phonemic variation will be analyzed to elaborate that China English is the language variation which grows out of the Chinese-specific cultural environment. The Chinese social cognition is the source of China English, which further explains the fact that China English is one variety of World Englishes with Chinese socio-cultural features.China English is influenced by Chinese-specific culture and thinking patterns at the levels of phonology, lexis, syntax, etc. The cognitive cultural models reflected by China English turn to an important aspect of World Englishes study. From the perspective of Cognitive Sociolinguistics, the study of China English has stepped into a new phase.