Multilingualism in China: The Politics of Writing Reforms for Minority Languages 1949-2002

Minglang Zhou

Published by De Gruyter Mouton 2003

Multilingualism in China

The Politics of Writing Reforms for Minority Languages 1949-2002

Minglang Zhou

Volume 89 in the series Contributions to the Sociology of Language [CSL]

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110924596

Overview
Contents

About this book

Minglang Zhou's highly erudite and well-researched volume on the policies concerning writing reforms for China's minorities since 1949 provides an original and well-reasoned summary of a complex process. It documents how different script reforms meet dramatically different fates according to local preferences, history, cross-border ties, and the vitality of previously-used scripts. It convincingly shows that no single variable is decisive in the success of a script, and that language planners' fixation with technical details is doomed to failure, without careful coordination of extra-code factors. It also documents the little-known Sino-Soviet cooperation in the area of writing reforms. In a style accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students, Zhou's book is of interest to language planners, sinologists, applied linguists, writing theorists, and ethnologists.

Author / Editor information

Minglang Zhou is Associate Professor at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, USA.

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Contents Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
List of tables Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xvi
Abbreviations and names of minorities in China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xx
Map 1. Distribution of Minority Nationalities and Languages in China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xxiii
Map 2 China: Autonomous regions and prefectures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xxiv
Chapter 1. Minorities and minority languages in China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2. The politics of minority language policy, 1949–2002 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
Chapter 3. The politics of the status of writing systems: Official, experimental, or unofficial Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
Chapter 4. Choices of scripts and theories of writing systems: East vs. West Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Chapter 5. The politics of vernacular writing systems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
Chapter 6. The politics of traditional and reformed writing systems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	280
Chapter 7. Modernization: The politics and sociolinguistics of Chinese loanwords and minority language orthography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	347
Chapter 8. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	389
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	402
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	407
Subject index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	447
Index of (officially recognized) minority nationalities and minority languages in China Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	454
Index of names of influential persons Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	457

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
Pages
- Front matter: 22
- Main content: 458
Illustrations
- Tables: 94
- Other: 2 Ktn.
Keywords: Sprachsoziologie; Dialektologie; Sprachkontakt; Rechtschreibung

eBook

Published: October 24, 2012
ISBN: 9783110924596

Hardcover

Published: July 17, 2003
ISBN: 9783110178968