The Ecology of English in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Language ecology studies the interactions between a language and all aspects of the society for which it is a medium of communication. This paper discusses the language ecology of English in Mainland China. The primary focus is on the big picture, on the ecology of English in China as a whole, with a secondary focus on the ecology of English in Chinese university students as a specific group, including why learning English is important to them, and the use they make of it now or expect to make in the future of English. English is used in China primarily as a foreign language and most appropriately defined as a performance variety of English. While most people in China who know some English are learners rather than users, the demand for English learning continues to increase along with the domains in which it is used. Significant domains of use are education, science and technology, employment, business and international relations. Historically there is an ambivalent relationship between English and Chinese politics and society between at two extremes of seeing it as a threat to national security and as a conduit for strengthening China’s position in the world community.

Keywords: language ecology, English, China, attitudes.