ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the discussion of the theoretical framework of attitude and identity, with a focus on the Chinese context and reviews some previous attitudinal studies of China English in terms of accent and studies of identity in relation to English language learning in the Chinese context. It shows how language and accent attitudes may reflect the way English users in China position themselves in the Global Englishes (GE) framework and whether they are more willing to embrace or reject their Chinese identities in their use of English. Research into English as a global language with its accent attitudes is related to research on identity, as the study of English has described as ‘the study of how people who use this global code represent themselves in relation to each other and the world’. The various needs and goals of learning English create a link to research on language attitudes in relation to language learning motivation in the GE framework.
