Resumen de The complexity of family language policy decisions: The case of Cantonese and other regional Chinese varieties

Li Yaling, Li Danli, Gao Xuesong

• English

  This paper explores the beliefs, attitudes, and efforts of parents with regard to the use and preservation of regional Chinese varieties including Cantonese in the region of Guangzhou, China. The study relied on a sequential mixed method approach, involving 771 parents who completed a parental questionnaire in an online survey on Chinese parents’ language ideology, practice, and management in the home domain, followed by semi-structured interviews of 10 of the surveyed participants to gather detailed data related to the questionnaire results. The study identified inconsistencies in the participants’ beliefs and actual language practice in the survey, revealing mediation by sociolinguistic complexities, national language policies, and socioeconomic conditions on family language decisions and practices. These remind us that the survival of regional Chinese varieties or linguistic varieties without official recognition requires conducive socio-political conditions, including relevant national language policies. The results also suggest that researchers should be particularly concerned by the decline of regional Chinese varieties other than Cantonese, which are not backed up by the national language policy but enjoy a similarly prestigious status to Cantonese in the region.

• 中文

  本文探讨了中国广州地区家长对方言（包括粤语方言）持有的信念、态度以及使用所付出的努力。本研究采用混合研究方法，先通过网络问卷的方式调查了771位家长在家庭语言使用中体现出来的语言信念，语言实践和语言管理方式，再对其中十位家长进行访谈以获取与问卷相关的补充信息。通过对所收集的数据进行分析，研究发现研究参与者的信念和语言实践有许多不一致的地方。这些不一致体现出复杂的社会语言环境、国家语言政策和社会经济条件对家庭语言决策和实践有着深刻的影响。这些发现也意味着如果没有政策性的认可和合适的社会政治条件，地方方言很难继续存活。研究的有关发现也提醒研究者需要特别关注广东地区那些非粤语方言的地方方言的将来，因为它们没有粤语方言那么有地方优势，也缺少相关政策的支持，更容易消失。