An Analysis On China’s Dialect Protection Measures With Reference To Canadian Minority Languages Policy

In order to strengthen national unification,Chinese government popularizes the Mandarin to break through the communication obstacles of different local dialects and minority people.It has overcome the language barriers created by different local dialects and has provided a strong guarantee for safeguarding national unity.China has a vast territory and a long history,and there is a huge gap in various dialects.The policy of popularizing Mandarin in the 1950s laid an important foundation for the communication between people of different regions and ethnic groups,overcoming the language barriers created by different local dialects,and providing a strong guarantee for safeguarding national unity.At the same time,it is not difficult to see that dialects as an important carrier of regional culture(such as poetry,music,drama,etc.),the development has gradually declined,so that it is difficult to meet the public’s spiritual needs for multiculturalism.This phenomenon has also attracted the attention of many linguists and scholars,and they have carried out a large number of language ontology research and language application research from different angles and directions.The author started the research of this subject based on the plain feelings of hometown dialect and cultural forms.Shaanxi is geographically divided into northern Shaanxi,southern Shaanxi and Guanzhong area.The well-known Shaanxi dialect refers to the Guanzhong dialect.Although Guanzhong dialect is one of the important linguistic carriers of China’s historical and cultural traditions,the academic community does not understand its latest use.In particular,there is few research on the use of Mandarin and dialects conducted by primary and middle school students.With reference to Canadian language policy and planning,the author found that Canadian minority people had appealed to their own language rights.The government has adopted national legislation and education of minority languages to maintain language harmony for protecting cultural diversity and maintaining social stability,and it made social conflicts finally solved effectively.The author believes that both Canada and China are multi-ethnic countries,and the experience of Canadian language policy provides us with lessons to be learned in the strategies and methods of minority language or dialect protection.Based on the research theories,such as language planning,language attitude,language variation and language variants,this study selected the combination of questionnaire survey and interview,sample survey and quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand the language use and language attitude of primary and middle school students in Xi’an.To verify whether there is a loss in Guanzhong dialect and the influencing factors of this linguistic phenomenon,and propose suggestions for dialect protection strategies according to the language living conditions in Guanzhong area.In response to research questions,the corresponding student questionnaires and teacher interview outlines were designed from the aspects of language ability,language use choice,language environment,language attitude and dialect protection.After the contact with 5 primary and middle schools in three typical urban areas in Xi’an,a field survey was conducted on the language use of 477 students,7 teachers,and more than 400 parents and other social practitioners in 10 classes.Under the guidance of the teacher,the students filled out the questionnaire in classes,and interview the teachers and parents in the form of face-to-face or online chat under the class,through the recording form and transfer the recording to text content of 38495 words,finally the paper questionnaire and Interview content as a raw data material to analyze language issues.According to the usage status and development trend of Guanzhong dialect reflected in this study,the author has the following findings:1)The living space of Guanzhong dialect in Shaanxi is squeezed and there is a loss phenomenon;2)The language environment of primary and middle schools in Xi’an is "monolingual" on the whole.Their dialect ability and cognitive level need to be improved;3)Teachers and parents have misunderstandings in their language attitudes.They generally believe that Mandarin means higher level of language and it can reflect higher personal qualities and education levels.4)Students and their teachers are both affirmed by the importance of dialects as cultural carriers,and hold supportive attitudes to the protection of dialects.The author refers to Canada’s historical experience in language policy and language protection measures,from national policy support,and proposes the dialect protection strategies from the national policy support,legislative guarantees,using the mass media platform to raise public awareness of language protection,improving scientific research capabilities,cultivating scientific research talents,improving the importance of family education,and promoting professional talents through linguistic professional employment,etc.Suggestions on the dialect protection of local language and national conditions ensure that the cultural characteristics of Shaanxi are well preserved.It is hoped that this research can provide references for China to formulate a language protection policy that is more in line with the characteristics of regional developments,and contribute to the continually enhancing cultural consciousness,strengthening cultural self-confidence and promoting excellent traditional culture under the new social characteristics of China.