An Analysis of Zhuang Language Policy in Guangxi

【Abstract】Adopting the selected analytical framework， this paper tries to analyze the policies that the provincial government of Guangxi has made to protect and promote the minority language of Zhuang. The purpose is to examine whether these policies are effective to revitalize and protect Zhuang language.

【Key words】minority language; language policy; language protection

【作者簡(jiǎn)介】黎姿，三亞學(xué)院。

1. Introduction

Making appropriate policies to protect and promote minority languages is an essential mission for the governments and measures that support the policies are also needed. From the political point of view， language is a potential source of conflicts if proper measures are not taken. China is a multi-ethnic country with 56 ethnics， among which 55 are minorities， so ethic unity is very significant to the national stability， leading to the necessity of legitimating minorities and thus promoting their associated languages social status. Appropriate minority language policies are therefore effective means to reduce or even prevent tensions.

On the other hand， from a lingual point of view， the spread， maintenance and decline of language is dynamic， making it more demanding for language policy makers. As the carrier of culture， many languages with small group of speakers are dying out in a remarkably rapid way， resulting in the extinction of many cultures. Therefore， effective minority language policy must be implemented before the languages are trapped in the plight of survival. The same is true in China.

Zhuang language is used by the Zhuang minority， which has the largest population among the 55 minorities in China. People from Zhuang minority mainly reside in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， others gather in provinces such as Guangdong and Guizhou. However， in spite of the large population of Zhuang minority， there are some studies showing that speakers of Zhuang language are declining in recent years. Wujun Liu （2016） carried out a study in Baise， a major habitat of Zhuang people in Guangxi， to probe into the difficulties in protecting Zhuang language under the background of urbanization and found that increasing local Zhuang people cannot speak Zhuang language， a worrying fact that threatens the inheritance and development of Zhuang culture. Geng Xia （2017） conducted a survey in Maodong village in Guangxis Laibin city to study the ecological protection of Zhuang language and found that compared to natural ecological factors， social ecological factors had laid more effects on Zhuang language. Economic ecology had restricted the social and cultural functions of Zhuang language， and the insufficient recognition of Zhuang languages value had affected peoples attitude towards the language thus restricted their use of it， leading to the deconstruction of the languages ecology.

The studies mentioned above show that in addition to the popularization of Mandarin， which declines application of Zhuang language， urbanization is another tendency that affects the number of speakers of Zhuang language in recent years. Less members in Zhuang families speak Zhuang language， as job-seeking adults swarm into big cities and communicate in Mandarin， the dominant language in cities. Affected by dominant lingual environment， more and more parents who find jobs in cities prefer to speak with their children in Mandarin， thus affecting the way their children communicate with grandparents. As a result， use of Zhuang language declines at a rapid pace.

Another concern is that there are only few occasions where people can communicate in Zhuang language in the social context. Zhuang people who move to cities must abandon their own language and fit themselves to the dominant language environment in cities. As a result， younger generations are unlikely to speak Zhuang language.

2. Methodology

2.1 Data collection

In China， Guangxi is the most densely populated area for Zhuang people. Demographic census taken in Guangxi in 2016 showed that 32% of the 48 million permanent residents in Guangxi are Zhuang people. The government has been making planning to protect Zhuang language and preserve Zhuang culture since 1950s. The most remarkable department is the Minority Language and Literature Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region （for convenience， this department will be addressed as the Committee later in this paper）， which was established in 1954 and had overseen the job to protect and promote minority languages since then.

The basic functions of the Committee can be described as：

·to propagandize and implement the laws， regulations and policies made by the state and autonomous region on the work of minority languages and literature; drafting local regulations on the work of minority languages and literature throughout the region; taking charge of the normalization， standardization and information processing of minority languages and literature in the region;

·to undertake scientific researches of minority languages and literature in the region， organizing and carrying out scientific research projects of minority languages and literature in the region， and undertaking the rescue， sorting， protection and inheritance of the heritage of minority languages and literature;

·to take charge of the codification， accreditation and publication of the reference books of minority languages and literature in the region; undertaking relevant work of Guangxi Minority Languages and Literature Academic Association;

·to undertake the guidance， supervision and inspection of the study and use of minority languages such as Zhuang， Miao， Dong and Yi languages; studying on and resolving major problems in the work of minority languages and literature in the whole region; making suggestions for strengthening and standardizing the work of minority languages and literature;

·to undertake the translation of minority languages and literature throughout the region; undertaking the two-way translations of publications in the national common language， foreign languages and minority languages;

·to undertake foreign exchanges and cooperation in the field of minority languages; undertaking the work of the education and training of government officials and employees.

The data collected for this paper are mainly from the website of the Committee （http：//www.gxmyw.com.cn/） to ensure reliable sources.

2.2 Data classification

By searching on the website of the Committee， the author found that Zhuang Language policy in Guangxi is reflected in the following three aspects： legislation， researches and application.

a. Legislation

Legislation is the most important part to ensure the successful implementation of Zhuang language policy. The 13th Five-Year Plan for the implementation of minority languages and literature was issued by the National Minority Committee in 2017. The principles of the plan included： implementing minority languages policy according to the national regulations; promoting and standardizing the use of national common languages and literature， ensuring that all ethnic groups have the freedom to use and develop their own languages and literature; promoting the development of minority languages and literature in a scientific way; giving full play to the important role of minority languages and literature; adhering to the goal of unity and progress， encouraging all ethnic groups to learn from each other; building a harmonious language environment to promote the harmonious relationship between different ethnic groups.

As an echo to the national plan， the Committee in Guangxi released its newest regulations on the work of minority language and literature in the region this July. According to the regulations， the government encourages and supports the use of writing system of Zhuang language in areas where Zhuang people are densely populated. In addition， Zhuang language is recognized as one of the official languages in these areas， alongside with Mandarin. For example， language used on the websites and in the working areas of official departments in these areas must adopt Zhuang language as one of the official languages to serve the people.

b. Academy

On the website of the Committee， one can see that there is a column called Minority Languages Researches， with sub-sections including research achievements in minority languages， minority languages working forum， standardization of new words and expressions of minority languages （mostly Zhuang language） as well as feature stories introducing those who made significant contributions in this field.

Research achievements displayed on the website include the codification of Zhuang language dictionaries， Zhuang-Chinese two-way dictionaries and Zhuang-Chinese-English triple-way dictionaries as well as publications on researches of Zhuang language and culture.

c. Application

Application of Zhuang language is mainly consisting of Zhuang language test and the employment of the language in various domains. Zhuang language test was initiated in 2013 and has been held annually since then. Whoever intends to take the test is free of charge， for the government encourages and supports people to take it. The test is classified as three levels： preliminary， intermediate and advanced， with vocabulary demanding of 3000 words， 4000 words and 5000 words respectively. The test consists of general knowledge of Zhuang language and literature， words and expressions， sentence-making， comprehensive reading， Zhuang-Chinese two-way translation as well as writing. Dominant medias are supposed to disseminate the test through various ways.

Apart from the test of Zhuang language， the committee plans and organizes many other events to further promote the application of Zhuang language and culture and provide people with the opportunities to use the language. For example， Zhuang Folk Song Festival， a traditional event for Zhuang people in which young males and females singing folk songs to each other to express their love， is celebrated in March each year; Spring Festival Gala using Zhuang language is also held to entertain the public since 2017; TV channels and programme using Zhuang language are set up to popularize the language; traditional Zhuang sports meeting is held to promote Zhuang culture.

Whats more important， bilingual education in Zhuang language and Madarin has approved in kindergartens， primary and secondary schools in Zhuang areas. Standardized teaching materials are published to serve bilingual education in these areas. This is a significant measure to protect and promote Zhuang language and culture against the trend of urbanization which declines users of the language.

2.3 Theoretical Framework

The analytical framework adopted in this paper relies a lot on the language policy evaluation theory that Grin （2003） has proposed in his book， Language Policy Evaluation and the European Charter on Regional or Minority Languages. According to Grin， the notion of policy in terms of language planning is a narrow one， like the notion of measures. In other words， policy refers to “the way in which a particular goal is being pursued， rather than to the goal itself” （Grin， 2003， p. 21）. Zhuang language policy is in line with Grins definition of policy in this sense.

In terms of policy analysis， a significant measurement Grin （2003） proposed is rationale. Rationality of language policy， as Grin explained， lies in whether it serves certain goals of the policy. Therefore， according to Grin， both the rationality of a language policy and the outcomes it achieves should be taken into consideration before we conclude whether it is effective or not.

There are three conditions for language use that can be viewed as indicators of a policys outcomes， namely the “capacity， opportunity and desire” （Grin， 2003， p. 43） of the language.

The condition of capacity means that “members of language community must know the language， and if they do not know it， or only to an inadequate degree of competence， they should be given the opportunity to learn it” （Grin， 2003， p. 43）. Capacity is therefore an essential condition for a language to fully play its role and survive.

The condition of opportunity refers to the chances or occasions where users of certain languages can use their languages freely on their own choice. When in their private spaces， such as homes， individuals are free to decide which language they speak. However， to vitalize a language， the state must provide opportunities for individuals to use their language not only within but also outside their private spaces. In other words， individuals should have the opportunities to use their own language in public places， otherwise they were not allowed to use the language even when they are capable. Opportunity is the premise of capacity and desire.

The condition of desire is closely related to the individuals personal choice of language. Desire refers to the individuals willingness to use a language and to show their identities. Only when their own languages are widely accepted and not being loathed， would people like to use their languages in public occasions. This is a broader issue of whether their identities and cultures are accepted by the dominant society.

To sum up， the rationality of a language policy is determined the outcomes it generates， which can be indicated by whether it provides the conditions of capacity， opportunity and desire. Based on this theory， Zhuang language policy in Guangxi will be analyzed applying the collected data. The purpose of the analysis is to examine whether the policys outcomes make it a rational one.

3.Analysis of Zhuang language policy in Guangxi?

As is previously mentioned， the analysis of a language policy must take the outcome into account. It is the most direct way to evaluate a policy. Unfortunately， data that reflect the outcome is unavailable now， partly because the author is not currently in Guangxi， and partly because the official reports on the outcome of the policy is not released yet. But as is mentioned before， capacity， opportunity and desire can be seen as indicators to the evaluation.

In addition， the expected goals of the policy should be defined before the policy is evaluated. As is mentioned in the opening introduction， although the number of speakers of Zhuang language was declining， there are still many users of the language， compared to other minority languages. According to Fishmans Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale （as cited by Grin， 2003）， the scale of the threatenedness of Zhuang language before the implementation of the policy can be described as “regional or minority language literacy in the home， school and community， but such literacy remains restricted to the confines of the community， that is it enjoys virtually no official recognition and support...allows a minority language to remain intergenerationally secure” （Grin， 2003， p. 41）.

Based on this， the goal of Zhuang language policy can be defined as “to improve the political position of the language， to promote the reproduction of the language and to restore and maintain it for the long run”.

a. Capacity

The action that government of Guangxi had taken to initiate the test for Zhuang language can be viewed as a measurement to meet the condition of capacity for Zhuang language use. Although Zhuang minority has a large population， the fact is that the use of Zhuang language is not a unified one among different Zhuang-speaking areas. People who live in two villages locating very close to each other may speak Zhuang language in a totally different way. In other words， there are variants of Zhuang language， the test of Zhuang language functions as a standard for the language users. Another fact is that people who are able to speak Zhuang language are not necessarily able to recognize the written system of the language， the test enable those speakers to master not only the audio system but also the written system of the language. From this point of view， test for Zhuang language is a remarkable measure to serve the condition of capacity.

Another measure that serve the condition of capacity is the bilingual education in schools of Zhuang areas. Children in these areas can master Zhuang language from a very young age and communicate with their grandparents using Zhuang language， thus reducing the impact of urbanization on the language and vitalizing the language widely and essentially. Whats even more important， the position of the language will be improved by the act of including Zhuang language into the classroom， making it an officially recognized language.

b. Opportunities

Regulations made by the state government and Guangxi government can be seen as a remarkable measure to serve the condition of opportunity. It is an official recognition of the value of the language. Besides， official departments adopting both Chinese and Zhuang languages as their official and website language is also a prominent measure that serves the condition of opportunity. By implementing this policy， Zhuang language is acceptable in public places and accepted by dominant language environment， as a result， the language users will no longer be looked down upon any more. Gradually， the social status of the language will be improved， thus leading to more people using it.

The standardization of the written system of Zhuang language and the codification of Zhuang dictionaries are also important measures to serve the condition of opportunity. By standardizing the written form， users of the language can send messages and emails in the language， or even write letters to each other.

c. Desire

People would like to use Zhuang language when they think highly of the language. The condition of desire for language using can by fulfilled by promoting Zhuang cultures and making the language appears charming to the public. Measures to serve this purpose include setting up TV channels and programme which apply Zhuang language， organizing social events such as Zhuang Folk Song Festival and Spring Festival Gala in Zhuang language， as well as holding traditional Zhuang sports meetings. These practices engage more people to immerse in the language， thus promoting it.

To conclude， most of the measures the government of Guangxi take to protect and promote Zhuang language are rational according to Grins language policy evaluation theory. However， measures that aim at boosting economic growth in Zhuang areas， which is very significant to ensure the languages thriving， are not found. The government should make more effort to promote economy in these areas.

4.Conclusion

Drawing on Grins theory of language policy evaluation， this paper briefly analyzes the measures taken out in Guangxi to promote Zhuang language. Based on the selected analytical framework， we can conclude that most of the measures are effective actions to promote Zhuang language to a great extent. However， economic growth in Zhuang areas is to be developed to guarantee the preservation of Zhuang language.

As for the limitations of this paper， even though the collected data used for the analysis come from the official website of the Committee， it is insufficient for a more comprehensive evaluation of Zhuang language policy in China. This is partly because the author is currently not in Guangxi and is hard to get first-hand data， and partly because official reports of the outcomes of the measures taken in Guangxi are not released yet. Besides， empirical or field studies on whether the measures are fully implemented are needed to make a comprehensive evaluation.

In the future， the author may move on to collect more fist-hand data and conduct empirical and field studies and probe deeper into the problem. Also， more theoretical and methodological policy analysis models can be explored in further studies.

References：

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[3]Wujun， L. Difficulties in protecting Zhuang language under the background of urbanization and the countermeasures： a case study on Baise[J]. Journal of Hezhou University [in Chinese]，2016，32（4）：38-42.

[4]Website： http：//www.gxmyw.com.cn/[OL].