ABSTRACT
English-related linguistic creativity and language commodification are a constant topic of interest and analysis for scholars. This volume is intended to initiate a dialogue between these two domains of inquiry that have been abundantly addressed but rarely documented together or in relation to one another.
English as used in mainland China is presented as a case study where it remains rather unclear the extent to which the language is actually used in people’s lives, outside the domain of education. The volume enriches existing empirical studies by exploring the creative and innovative uses of English in people’s lives and its commodification at different language-centred economic spaces within China while also providing an update of our understanding of the sociolinguistic situation of English in China, a country undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation.
English in China is the first attempt to discuss the possible relationship, intersection, and tension between two seemingly inseparable research topics. The book is an important resource for students and scholars in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Bilingualism, Sociolinguistics, Translation, and Contemporary Chinese Studies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|36 pages
Theoretical framework
chapter 1|15 pages
Linguistic creativity and language commodification research
chapter 2|19 pages
The politics of English as a commodity in China
part II|41 pages
Creative practices with English
chapter 3|14 pages
Stylization in Chinese online communication
chapter 4|15 pages
Translational creativity in the linguistic landscape of Shantou
part III|74 pages
English as commodity