Linguistic landscape as a way to reflect the tension between mandated language policies and residents’ language preferences: the case of Kashgar in China

ABSTRACT

Recent linguistic landscape (LL) research has witnessed a change in focus to untypical, peripheral and fluid signs. Compared to typical (or permanent, fixed, etc.) signs which tend to be subject to strong policy intervention, language use on untypical signs is often more autonomous, thus could better reflect the de facto language choice and preferences of local residents. Comparing the linguistic patterns between typical and untypical signs therefore provides a way to investigate the tension between mandated language policies and residents’ language choice. In this study, we adopted the dichotomous terms proposed by Shang, G., and X. Zhou. 2020. “非典型语言景观的类型、特征及研究视角 [Peripheral Linguistic Landscape: Sign Types, Features and Research Perspectives].” 语言战略研究 5 (4): 37–47., namely ‘typical’ and ‘peripheral’, to explore the language use on public signs in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. By comparing typical and peripheral signs in Kashgar, the study found a significant discrepancy: Chinese is prioritised on typical signs due to top-down policy promotion, while Uyghur is used extensively on peripheral signs by local residents. This study demonstrates the importance of analysing peripheral linguistic landscape in strong-policy nations/regions.

KEYWORDS:

• Linguistic landscape
• peripheral signs
• language policy
• Uyghur
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

The interviews with the participants were approved by the Civil Affairs Bureau of Kashgar City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Notes

1 See The Regulations on Ethnic Unity and Progress in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (2015), and The Cultural Protection and Development in Xinjiang (2018).

2 The Yi language is the mother tongue of the Yi ethnic minority group in China.

3 The Naxi language is the mother tongue of the Naxi ethnic minority group in China.

4 The Cultural Revolution, formally the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a socio-political movement in China during 1966 and 1976.

5 This policy has not been made public yet. We learned about this policy through interviews with local officials.

6 Kashgar is an important transportation and trade hub under the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, which is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013. Kashgar is a hub connecting countries in West Asia. As a result, recent years have seen a promotion of English on public signs in Kashgar (see Shu and Ou 2018).

7 We recognised that our participants are all adults, and the result (bilingual level) might be different for school-aged children or teenagers.

8 Most store owners indicated multiple reasons, so the total percentage exceeds 100%.

9 The language use on peripheral government signs was also taken as a reflection of local residents’ language preferences, as these signs were often made by grassroots government staff with greater language autonomy (who were also taken as residents of Kashgar). In addition, the choice of using Uyghur solely on signs also reflects government staff’s language expectation on local residents, i.e., they believe Uyghur is the best means of communication.