Exploring the Connection Between Attitudes Towards New Chinglish and Social Media Among Chinese College Students

  • Xiaoman Liu International Education School, Hunan University of Medicine, China.
  • Esther Jawing Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia.
  • xiaofang Zhao Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia.
Keywords: New Chinglish, Language attitude, Language use behavior

Abstract

New Chinglish has emerged as an undeniable and popular trend on Chinese social media platforms, particularly among Chinese college students. These college students are not only the main force of English users and learners in China but also the major netizens on Chinese social media platforms. However, within a cultural context where ‘standards and adherence to norms have traditionally been of paramount importance to the Chinese’ (Kirkpatrick, 2017: 278), the conflicting attitudes and use towards either upholding traditional viewpoints or adopting opposing stances regarding the New Chinglish warrant intriguing and meaningful exploration. Thus, this study aims to explore the connection between their attitudes towards New Chinglish and its usage behaviors on social media among Chinese college students. It seeks to unveil the reasons underlying their attitudes towards the use of New Chinglish. The in-depth exploration reveals a contradictory and uncertain evaluation of their usage of New Chinglish on social media, despite its high level of understandability and acceptability among them. Personal acceptability and preference do not solely determine their attitudes towards their use of New Chinglish on social media; instead, various social factors, such as language inequality, influence their language use behavior and attitudes, leading to a compromise between individual preferences and social influences. Specifically, this study offers insight into the genuine reactions and usage tendencies of English in real-life situations, indicating the future trends in English language development in China.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agheyisi, R., & Fishman, J. A. (1970). Language attitude studies: A brief survey of methodological approaches. Anthropological Linguistics, 12(5), 137-157.

Alvaro, J. J. (2015). Analysing China's English-language media. World Englishes, 34(2), 260-277.

Baker, C. (1992). Attitudes and Language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Bartram, B. (2010). Attitudes to modern foreign language learning. London: Bloomsbury

Bohner, G., & Wanke, M. (2002). Attitudes and Attitude Change. London: Psychology Press.

Bolton, K. (2003). Lexical innovations in Hong Kong English and Chinese Englishes. In Peters, P. H. (Eds.), From Local to Global English: Proceedings of Style Council 2001/2 (pp. 81–97). Sydney: Dictionary Research Centre, Macquarie University.

Bolton, K. (2013). World Englishes, globalization, and language worlds. In N-L Johannesson, G. Melchers, &B. Björkman (Eds.), Of butterflies and birds, of dialects and genres: Essays in honour of Philip Shaw (pp. 227-251). Routledge.

Bolton, K. (2017). Preface: English in China and the continuing story of Chinese Englishes. In: Xu, Z., He, D., & Deterding, D. (Eds.), Researching Chinese English: The state of the art (pp. v-viii). New York: Springer.

Bolton, K., & Graddol, D. (2012). English in China today. English Today, 28(3), 3–9.

Botha, W. (2014). English in China's universities today: The practice of English-medium instruction in China's universities is dramatically altering the linguistic nature of students' educational as well as their personal lives. English Today, 30(1), 3-10.

Chen, M., & Hu, X. (2006). Towards the acceptability of China English at home and abroad. English Today, 22(4), 44–52.

Chen, X. (2021). A Systematic Review of Attitudes towards China English and Implications for L2 Teaching in China. Adult and Higher Education, 3(2), 45-50.

China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). (2020). 48th China Statistical Report on Internet Development. China Internet Network Information Center. https://www.cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/

China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). (2021). 49th China Statistical Report on Internet Development. China Internet Network Information Center. https://www.cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/

China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). (2022). 50th China Statistical Report on Internet Development. China Internet Network Information Center. https://www.cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/

China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). (2023). 51th China Statistical Report on Internet Development. China Internet Network Information Center. https://www.cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/

China News. (2020. December. 9). The Average Chinese Spends 4.9 Hours a Day Online for Leisure! How About You? https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/2020/12-09/9358054.shtml

Dong, H. (2019). Translanguaging in New Chinglish Online Buzzwords. Overseas English. 2019(6), 75-77.

Fang, F. (2017). An Investigation of attitudes towards English accents–A case study of a university in China. In: Xu, Z., He, D., & Deterding, D. (Eds.), Researching Chinese English: The state of the art (pp. 141-156). New York: Springer.

Fang, Z. X. (2012). The nativisation of English nouns in Chinese context as exemplified by “propaganda”. Foreign Language Research, 165(2), 77–80.

Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. London: Edward Arnold.

Gardner, R. C. (2010). Motivation and second language acquisition: The socio-educational model (Vol. 10). Peter Lang.

Garrett, P. (2010). Attitudes to Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Garrett, P., Coupland, N., & Williams, A. (2003). Investigating Language Attitudes: Social Meanings of Dialect, Ethnicity and Performance. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.

He, D., & Li, D. (2009). Language attitudes and linguistic features in the ‘China English’ debate. World Englishes, 28(1), 70–89.

He, D., & Zhang, Q. (2010). Native speaker norms and China English: From the perspective of learners and teachers in China. TESOL Quarterly, 44(4), 769-789.

Heng Hartse, J. (2017). Chinese and Non-Chinese English Teachers’ Reactions to Chinese English in Academic Writing. In: Xu, Z., He, D., & Deterding, D. (Eds.), Researching Chinese English: The state of the art (pp. 157-172). New York: Springer.

Hou, Y. (2020). From Chinglish to New Chinglish—A Critical Exploration of Chinese ELF. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(4), 353-359.

Hu, G. (2021). English language policy in Mainland China: History, issues, and challenges. In: Low, E. L., & Pakir, A. (Eds.), English in East and South Asia: Policy, Features and Language in Use (pp. 19-32). London: Routledge.

Hu, X. (2004). Why China English should stand alongside British, American, and the other "World Englishes". English Today, 20(2), 26-33.

Hu, X. (2005). China English, at home and in the world. English Today, 21(3), 27-38.

Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jiang, Q., & Tian, L. (2011). An investigation of English/Chinese code‐mixing on a university campus. Journal of Chongqing Education College, 24(2), 19-21.

Jiang, Y. (2003). English as a Chinese language. English Today, 19(2), 3-8.

Kirkpatrick, A. (2007). World Englishes: Implications for international communication and English language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kirkpatrick, A., & Xu, Z. (2002). Chinese pragmatic norms and `China English'. World Englishes, 21(2), 269-279.

Kirkpatrick. A. (2017). Future Directions for Researching Chinese. In: Xu, Z., He, D., & Deterding, D. (Eds.), Researching Chinese English: the State of the Art (pp. 267-279). New York: Springer.

Kunschak, C., & Fang, F. (2008). Intelligibility, acceptability, target-likeness: teacher vs. student perspectives on the teaching of pronunciation within an EIL framework. Philippine Journal of Linguistics, 39(1), 1-1.

Lambert, W. (1984). Culture and language as factors in learning and education. In J. Mallea & J. Young (ed.), Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education: Issues and Innovations (pp. 233-261). Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.

Li, W. (2016). New Chinglish and the Post-Multilingualism challenge: Translanguaging ELF in China. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 5(1), 1-25.

Li, Y., Zhang, R., & Liu, L. (1988). Zhongguo Yingyu Jiaoyu shi [A history of English language teaching in China]. Shanghai: Shanghai Waiyu Jiaoyu Chubanshe [Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press].

Lim, J. (2014). A model of functional rules for social media in the networked news sphere. Asian Journal of Communication, 24(3), 279-294.

Ma, Q., & Xu, Z. (2017). The nativization of English in China. In: Xu, Z., He, D., & Deterding, D. (Eds.), Researching Chinese English: The state of the art (pp. 189-201). Cham: Springer.

McKenzie, R. M. (2008). Social factors and non-native attitudes towards varieties of spoken English: a Japanese case study. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 18(1), 63-88.

Obiols, M. S. (2002). The matched guise technique: A critical approximation to a classic test for formal measurement of language attitudes. Noves SL. Revista de Sociolinguistica, 1, 1-6.

Oller, J. W., A.J. Hudson, & P.F. Liu. (1977). Attitudes and attained proficiency in ESL: a sociolinguistic study of native speakers of Chinese in the United States. Language Learning, 27(1), 1-27.

Oppenheim, A. N. (1992). Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement. London: Pinter Publishers.

Osnos, E. (2014). Age of ambition: Chasing fortune, truth, and faith in the new China. New York: Random House.

Qiang, H., & Siegel, L. S. (2012). Introduction of English immersion in China: A transplant with modifications. International Education, 41(2), 1-18.

Rao, Z. (2013). Teaching English as a foreign language in China: Looking back and forward: Reconciling modern methodologies with traditional ways of language teaching. English Today, 29(3), 34-39.

Ryan, E. B., & Giles, H. ((1982). Attitudes towards language variation: Social and applied contexts. London: EdwardArnold.

Schreier, M. (2012). Qualitative content analysis in practice. London: Sage.

Sina News. (2021. January. 27). Report: Global Internet Users Reach 4.66 Billion, Chinese Spend 5 Hours, 22 Minutes Online Every Day. https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-01-27/doc-ikftpnny2352791.shtml

The State Council. (2021. February, 3). China's Internet Users Reach 989 Million, Students Form the Largest Group. https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-02/03/content_5584622.htm

Tourism Research Center. (2020). Annual Report on Leisure Development in China. Social Sciences Academic Press (CHINA).

Wang, Y. (2013). Non-conformity to ENL norms: A perspective from Chinese English users. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 2(2), 255-282.

Xu, Z. & Deterding, D. (2017). The Playfulness of "New" Chinglish. Asian Englishes, 19(2), 116-127.

Xu, Z., & Zhang, D. (2021). Exploring the use of English in Chinese social media. In: Low, E. L., & Pakir, A. (Eds.), English in East and South Asia: Policy, Features and Language in Use (pp. 185-197). London: Routledge.

Xu. Z. (2017). Researching Chinese English: A Meta-analysis of Chinese Scholarship on Chinese English Research. In: Xu, Z., He, D., & Deterding, D. (Eds.), Researching Chinese English: the State of the Art (pp. 235-266). New York: Springer.

Yang, R., Ao, R., & Low, E. L. (2021). Features of Chinese English. In: Low, E. L., & Pakir, A. (Eds.), English in East and South Asia: Policy, Features and Language in Use (pp. 101-121). London: Routledge.

You, X. (2011). Chinese white-collar workers and multilingual creativity in the diaspora. World Englishes, 30(3), 409-427.

Yu, X., & Wen, Q. F. (2010). Nativized features of evaluative adjective-noun collocations in China’s English-language newspapers. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 2010(5), 23–2.

Zhang, H. (2014). Study on the code‐switching in the communication of conversation with an example of conversation in English majors’ dormitory. Journal of Xi’an Shiyou University (Social Sciences edition), 23(4), 102–108.

Zhang, W. (2012). Chinese-English code-mixing among China's netizens. English Today, 28(3) 40–52.

Zhang, W. (2015). Multilingual creativity on China's Internet. World Englishes, 34(2), 231–246.

Zhang, W., & Bolton, K., & Botha, W. (2019). English in the People's Republic of China. In: B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C. L. Nelson, (Eds.), The Handbook of World Englishes (pp. 266-280). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Published
2024-04-29
How to Cite
Liu, X., Jawing, E. and Zhao, xiaofang (2024) “Exploring the Connection Between Attitudes Towards New Chinglish and Social Media Among Chinese College Students”, Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 9(4), p. e002783. doi: 10.47405/mjssh.v9i4.2783.
Section
Articles