ABSTRACT
Today the world is comprised of over 200 countries with more than 2,000 ethnic groups, which speak 6,000 different languages. With the development of science and technology and ever-increasing communication among diverse ethnic groups and nationalities, bilingualism or multilingualism is becoming a global mode of communication. Bilingual education has become a global challenge. All the ethnic groups across the globe, especially those that do not use the mainstream language, are in need of preparing the younger generation to learn at least one more language that plays an important role in world society. Mackey (1989), a well-known bilingual expert, suggested that bilingual education plays a critical role in promoting communication and understanding among ethnic groups and nationalities in multicultural societies. China, a vast country inhabited by one and a quarter billion people, is a multiethnic and multilingual land where Han Chinese represent nearly 92% of the population. The remaining 100 million people are made up of numerous minority ethnic groups, which are often identified in China as “nationalities,” and they have developed a variety of complex languages. It is imperative for China to promote effective bilingualism to advance the modernization of the country and to provide efficient means of communication among ethnic groups.
