4. Multilingual Education in China and Central Asia. A Conversation with Stephen Bahry

Multilingual education has long been implemented and addressed in recent years in China, as a nation multi-ethnicities. The prominent ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity make the situation of multilingual education in China complex. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an overview of the situation of multilingual education in China to first present the full status-quo situation to educators and researchers, to provide basis for relevant teaching practice and research and to pave the way for further in-depth research. The paper first provides an overview of the situation of Chinese multilingualism, and presents ethnic multilingual policies and practices in China in general, then particularly focuses on the practice of multilingual education in Guizhou minority areas.

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Exploring Sustainable Multilingual Language Policy in Minority Higher Education in China: A Case Study of the Tibetan Language

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12187267 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (18) ◽

pp. 7267 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lubei Zhang ◽

Linda Tsung ◽

Zhuoma

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Education Policy ◽

Language Policy ◽

Language Education ◽

Minority Languages ◽

Multilingual Education ◽

The Social ◽

Higher Education In China ◽

Education In China

This paper explores sustainable multilingual education policy for minority languages in one of the higher education institutions (HEI) in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) in China. Following Spolsky’s theory of language policy ecology, this study conducted a survey of 276 students, examining the language education policy implemented inside and outside the classroom in their campus lives. The data were analyzed from the perspective of policy orientation, management issues and actual linguistic practice. The results showed that Chinese, Tibetan and English were all valued and respected in the current policy; however, the academic function of language was mainly undertaken by Chinese, while the social function was equally shouldered by Chinese and Tibetan. The findings gave us an insight into the present status of language education in this specific HEI in Tibet, and further offered valuable information for the design of sustainable multilingual policies for minority education at the higher education level in China.

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