Research On The Use Of English In China From The Perspective Of Language Planning

This paper stems from the observation and reflection of current social phenomena.When it comes to foreign languages,we generally think about English.People lay too much stress on English learning and are keen on learning methods of listening,speaking and vocabulary memory.We often say that we should apply our knowledge,but people pay little attention to the use of English.It is not clear how English plays a role in social life.Language use and language ontology constitute language research.For a long time,Chinese linguists have taken the study of language ontology seriously and neglected the study of language use,which has led to a weak language awareness and is not conducive to the healthy development of language research.The wide spread of English in the world has become a major problem in the study of language planning in various countries.English has not been included in the scope of Chinese language planning research and led to debates on “English threat” and “Chinese crisis”,which is not conducive to the harmony of Chinese language and social progress.Combining the theories and methods of linguistics,geography,statistics,etc.,the paper conducted a detailed investigation of the use of English in different social fields in China from the dimensions of “two horizontals” and “two verticals”.“Two horizontals” refer to the two social functions of language: tool function and cultural function;“two verticals” refer to the two main research objects of this paper: Chinese native speakers(incumbents)and linguistic landscape.Language has tool function and cultural function,so the use of language should also include both communication and culture.Based on the social characteristics of gender,age,region,educational level,occupation,industry,etc.,this paper conducted a questionnaire survey on Chinese native speakers(incumbents).The survey included three aspects: English ability,English use and language attitude.There are 3485 valid questionnaires altogether.By using SPSS statistical software and structural equation model AMOS,the data was descriptively analyzed with variance,factor analysis,etc.,and the comprehensive and scientific data results were obtained.The structural equation models of English influencing factors and English attrition influencing factors were constructed.At the same time,15 cities and counties of different scales were selected,and the linguistic landscape of commercial street was taken as the research object.The use of English in public space of China was investigated.The influence of English and the implementation of Chinese language policies and regulations were also observed.On the basis of a clear understanding of the current use of English in China,it will promote a small step forward in the study of language planning in China,provide preliminary survey data for the formulation of foreign language planning,and offer a scientific basis for the revision of national language regulations.The full paper is divided into eight chapters.The framework is as follows:Chapter 1 Introduction.This chapter outlines the importance and shortcomings of language and language use.From the perspective of language contact,it reviews the situation of Chinese and English contact,the use of English,the attitude towards English and the foreign language policy of the Chinese government at that time.Studies have shown that English learning began among ordinary people.The Chinese first came into contact with English because of trade needs and practical purposes.The development of English in our country has a bottom-up spread,and it is also inseparable from the top-down policy orientation.Chapter 2 Overview of language planning research.This chapter defines the concept of language planning,outlines the achievements of Chinese language planning research,and analyzes the social problems brought about by the lack of foreign language planning.On this basis,the theoretical basis of language planning research is constructed: Fishman's language domain theory and Spolsky's language management theory.Chapter 3 Literature review.This chapter summarizes the census of language use and the sampling survey of foreign language use among foreign countries and China.The study found that China lacks the language census.Our country only conducted a nationwide survey on the use of language and characters,and did not conduct regular and continuous language censuses.What's more,the survey on the use of foreign languages in mainland China is very limited.The study of foreign language use in linguistics is relatively scarce.We have no way of knowing the language situation,the use of foreign languages,and people's attitudes toward language since the new century.Chapter 4 Empirical research process.This chapter describes the research purposes,theoretical and practical significance,research content,quantitative and qualitative research methods,reliability and validity analysis,chi-square test,analysis of variance,factor analysis and structural equation modeling.Chapter 5 Result analysis of English use of incumbents.This chapter first analyzes the basic background information of the respondents.Secondly,it analyzes people's English ability: including English learning years;English levels of listening,speaking,reading and writing;current English levels of listening,speaking,reading and writing;and English certificate.Again,it analyzes people's English usage: including the overall frequency,the degree and the effect of English use;the use of different communicative occasions;the use of different communicative objects;the use of specific situations;the reasons for using English;mixed usage of Chinese and English;the use of sub-language and difficulties in using English.At the same time,the differences in English usage of people with different social characteristics are analyzed.Finally,it analyzes people's language attitudes: including the individual's need for English and other foreign languages;the work unit's demand for English;the family's attitude towards English learning;the attitude of foreign language use in the public domain;the attitude towards English culture;the impression of Chinese;the impression of English and the attitude towards language planning.The study found that people's English proficiency is generally low;the overall English usage rate is very low;more than half of the people are reluctant to say a few words.The frequency of using English in the virtual domain is higher than the public domain,and English is rarely used in work units and at home.The frequency of English use among friends is the highest.The frequency of English use in life situations is higher than that of work situations,which is common in watching TV and movies,listening to radio and songs,etc..There are very few people who mix Chinese and English codes frequently.People think that it's necessary for them to communicate in English in general.They have the highest demand for speaking ability.There are very few opportunities for English training in work units.People tend to let their children start learning English in the kindergarten.They lack the understanding of English culture.Chapter 6 Research on the structural equation model of the factors affecting the use of English in China.This chapter uses SPSS20.0 and AMOS20.0 to explore constructively the interaction model between English ability,English use and language attitude.The study found that the English level at school has the greatest impact on the overall use of English.English culture has a moderate impact on the overall use of English.Chinese attitude has a moderate impact on the English level at school and English attitude,which in turn affects the overall use of English.By affecting English attitude,Chinese attitude affects English culture and it will ultimately affect the overall use of English.Chapter 7 Analysis of English attrition.This chapter uses SPSS20.0 and AMOS20.0 to analyze the English attrition and influencing factors of the incumbents with group analysis.The study found that the incumbents in China have a larger attrition of English.With the increase of English communication,the understanding of English culture will deepen,and the degree of English attrition will be weakened.On the contrary,little is known about English culture and English communication,and the degree of English attrition will be stronger.The English level before attrition,English attitude,and English culture all affect English communication,and thus affect the attrition of English.Chapter 8 English usage in the linguistic landscape.This chapter begins with an overview of linguistic landscape research.By using Spolsky's language management theory and Scollon & Scollon's place semiotic theory,the linguistic landscapes of 15 different commercial streets and the use of foreign languages were investigated.It analyzes the power relations between English and Chinese embodied in the linguistic landscape and the implementation of language planning.The study found that official governments in different regions have different attitudes toward language.English is used extensively in language signs.The dominant language of the official signage is Chinese.The phenomenon of using English as the dominant language appears in the unofficial signage.The symbolic function of English in commercial signage is greater than the informational function.Conclusion.This part gives suggestions from four aspects: focusing on language investigation,strengthening language planning research,formulating foreign language planning,and strengthening language and cultural learning.At the same time,it points out the innovation of this research,analyzes the shortcomings and prospects of the research,and finally summarizes the research.We hope that through the research in this paper,more people can pay attention to language use and participate in language survey research in order to scientifically plan language,correctly handle the relationship between Chinese and English,perform their duties and build a harmonious language society.