Nuosu script in the linguistic landscape of Xichang, China: a sociocultural subtext

ABSTRACT

Nuosu script, a unique character-based script with a long history, permeates the public spaces of Xichang, the capital of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China. Using interviews, photos, observations, and documents, this qualitative study discovers the uses and meanings of Nuosu script in the linguistic landscape (LL). The research findings reveal surprising disjunctions between language policy and lived experience. Rather than communicating linguistic messages on the surface, Nuosu script has a sociocultural subtext supporting ethnic pride and collective identity. The script is an important marker of Nuosu culture even for those who cannot read. Nuosu in the LL carries little of the information load, is subordinate to Chinese writing in prominence, functions as a cultural token, and does not prioritise accuracy or naturalness. Nonetheless, Nuosu people affirm that seeing Nuosu script in public spaces helps to develop their language and preserve their culture. The results of this ethnographic study make important contributions to our understanding of writing systems and linguistic landscapes. The uses and meanings of Nuosu script in Xichang illustrate how orthographies, language policies, and local language communities in multilingual and multicultural environments interact to negotiate and construct identities in broader political and social contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Nuosu Yi
• linguistic landscape
• ethnic identity
• language policies
• cultural identity
• writing systems

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to those who gave helpful feedback on early versions of this article: Katrina Boutwell, John Clifton, Heidi Cobbey, Peter Unseth, Cathryn Yang, ShiZhou Yang, and two anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 Nuosu pinyin indicates tone (high, mid-high, mid, or low) by adding respectively ‘t’, ‘x’, nothing, or ‘p’ to the end of each syllable. An syllable-final ‘r’ is used to indicate tense vowel quality.