"American English Craze" In China-Thought On American Cultural Hegemony

Learning American English is one of the most popular phenomena in China today, which symbolizes the transformation from "British English Craze" to "American English Craze". Due to it being seen as highly fashionable, American English is now greatly welcomed by English learners in China. Various learning materials of American English, numbers of relevant training organizations and American cultural products have achieved prosperity with the phenomenon of "American English Craze".American English, which originated from early British English, was created by both the original British colonists and a large number of immigrants. Forepassed glories of Britain brought English the title of a global language, while the current power of America has helped the popularization of English achieve another pinnacle in its history. The decline of British English and the ascent of American English are proofs of America's great power. Language is usually considered merely a tool for communication, however, according to the theory of Antonio Gramsci, a well-known Italian Marxist philosopher, language, which is closely related to culture and ideology, can influence people's values and world view. In Prison Notebooks, Gramsci brought up the concept of cultural hegemony of the proletariat, an idea of capturing hegemony over the culture or ideology of "civil society" through a non-violent means. Meanwhile, language also acts as an important approach to the realization of cultural hegemony. The theory of cultural hegemony is also applicable to the relationship between Western capitalist countries and Eastern socialist countries, from which the concept of American cultural hegemony can be traced.Based on Gramsci's theory, combined with the example of American English...