Book project (2) 中国少数民族地区的英语教育

Edited by Zhang Zhen’ai, Bob Adamson & Yi Yayuan Guizhou Education Press with PEP (Series Editor: Liu Daoyi)

Features of the book Different regional contexts Different linguistic contexts Emphasis on ELT IN TRILINGUAL CONTEXTS Issues of identity, social equity and social harmony

English Language: possible topics Theory (ELT in strong models of trilingual education) Policy studies of English in trilingual contexts English in trilingual curriculum ELT pedagogy in trilingual contexts Student experiences, beliefs, attitudes, motivations in respect of English in trilingual contexts ELT Assessment in trilingual contexts ELT Teacher education and professional development for trilingual education

Some possible overarching themes Indicators to the future of English in China lie in remoter and more marginalized regions The role and status of China’s English in multilingual contexts To what extent is English penetrating to the marginalised areas through official commitment? Will English competence remain elitist? Will there be social mobility? How will English fare in the face of competition from other languages?

English mania “…governments are encouraging their citizens to learn English, parents are persuading, even forcing, their children to speak it and college students are doing English at the expense of their majors”. Jiang (2003) Is this true in ethnic minority regions?

Are China’s minority groups crazy about English? “A vast national appetite has elevated English to something more than a language: it is not simply a tool but a defining measure of life’s potential. China today is divided by class, opportunity, and power, but one of its few unifying beliefs— something shared by waiters, politicians, intellectuals, tycoons—is the power of English… English has become an ideology, a force strong enough to remake your résumé, attract a spouse, or catapult you out of a village.” (Osnos, 2008)

Language policies Policies can serve to strengthen a minority group’s sense of identity and provide enhanced access to mainstream opportunities Equally, they can result in marginalisation and social disadvantage (Edwards, 2004).

English as opportunity “I am very positive about having the opportunity to be educated in a bilingual (English-Uyghur) or trilingual (English- Uyghur-Chinese) environment. I am currently learning English by myself. English is the world language. Trade and commerce is becoming globalised and computers use English for programming. Many fashion brands and well-known products originate from English-speaking countries and many famous cosmetic brands are also from these countries. … Knowledge of English has also become important for finding employment and being able to use computers.” (Uyghur undergrad)

English as opportunity (2) “Uyghurs love their freedom and we are open to the wider world. Uyghurs are more interested in the international news than the Chinese domestic news; we are more inclined to be integrated into the wider world than just being confined to the borders of China. This is one of the reasons why Uyghurs are so interested in and motivated to learn English. Learning English and learning things in English can allow opportunities for the Uyghurs to be integrated into the wider world.” (ibid)

English as opportunity (3) “I very much welcome the opportunity to study the subjects in English. This will provide both Han and Uyghurs with the same starting point and equal footing and the Han student will get the taste of how it is like to learn subject knowledge in a foreign language. If a lecture is delivered in English and other factors being equal, Uyghurs can compete with the Han students.” (Uyghur Undergrad 2)

English in Ethnic Minority Areas Peripheral / complementary role in battle between Putonghua and minority languages Shortage of resources, particularly MT speaking teachers of the ethnic minority language—but major efforts in many regions to rectify this Instrumental view of English among ethnic minority parents English tends to be strongest in Accretive (supportive of the ethnic language) and Depreciative (threat to ethnic language) Models of Trilingual Education

Possible conclusions??? The role and status of English in all regions of China is dependent upon forces of globalization The tension between global and the local is played out in the appropriation of English in ethnic minority regions English will be a junior complement to strong national/regional languages English could be a threat to minority languages with weak ethnolinguistic vitality English could flourish as L3 in minority areas with strong ethnolinguistic vitality

Targets Expressions of interest and Abstracts by September 1 2015 10-15 chapters <10,000 characters each Publication by December 2016 badamson@ied.edu.hk

Acknowledgement I would like to acknowledge the generous funding received from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (General Research Fund 840012). Views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong.