论中国的语言规划

论中国的语言规划

刘胡英

刘胡英（湖南涉外经济学院，湖南长沙，410205）

中图分类号：H31文献标识码：A

摘要：本文从语言规划和语言规划政策入手，探讨了中国语言规划的研究及现状，旨在强调通过宏观改革来改进我国外语教学状况的必要性。

关键词：语言规划；中国；研究

1.LanguagePlanning

AccordtoWeinstein(1980),“Languageplanningisagovernmentauthorized,long-term,sustained,andconsciousefforttoalteralanguage’sfunctioninasocietyforthepurposeofsolvingcommunicationproblems.”Languageplanningisanattempttointerferedeliberatelywithalanguageorvarietiesoflanguages.Inotherwords,itisgenerallyseenasentailingtheformationandimplementationofapolicydesignedtoprescribeorinfluencethelanguagesthatwillbeusedandthepurposesforwhichtheywillbeused.

2.LanguagePlanningPolicy

Whoisresponsibleforestablishingalanguage-planningpolicy?Weinsteincontendsthattherearetwomajorforcesindeterminingsocietallanguagechoices:governmentalplanning,whichheseesexplicitlyasplanning,andinpidual,thatis,influentialinpiduals,whomhecallslanguagestrategists.Languagechoicesareinvolvedinformallanguagepoliciesandinthepromotionofinformallanguagestrategies.Bothcanresultinlanguagedecisions,whicheitherexpandorconstrainthelanguagechoicesofmostpeople.Ontheonehand,governmentassumestheresponsibilityofsettinguplanguage-planningprograms.Ontheotherhand,influentialinpidualsplayanimportantroleintheformationoflanguagepolicy.

3.TheResearchesonLanguagePlanninginChina

Inrecenttenyears,China’sresearchoflanguageplanningcomesthroughthefollowingaspects:researchesonlanguageplanningtheoriesabroad,suchasTurkey,NewZealand,Singapore,Canada,Austriaandothercountriesandareas,OverseaLanguagePolicyandtheProcessofLanguageProgramming(Zhou,1998);reviewingandthinkingaboutChina’slanguageplanningworks,forexample,China'sLanguagePlanningandPolicies(Daobu,1998),AMatterofBalance-ReflectionsonChina'sForeignLanguagePolicyinEducation(Hu,2001);thinkingaboutthetheoriesoflanguageplanning,forinstance,LanguagePlanningResearch(Chen,2005),ThinkingoftheStatusofLanguagePlanninginChina(Hou,2005)andsoon.

Chinesegovernmentattachesimportancetothelanguageplanningandpolicies.Butitwasnotverygoodifweweightedthesepoliciesbyconsecutivenessandsystematicness(Su,2000).Uptonow,thereisnogenerallong-termgoalinusingandnoshort-termgoalinoperation.TherearealotofcriticismstowardEnglisheducationinsociety,whichcriticizethelowerappliedcompetenceofEnglish,sincemostlearnersspendmuchtimeonit,buttheycannotspeakEnglishwell.Therefore,thescientificforeignlanguageplanningisverynecessary;thecompatiblepoliciescanimprovethepresentstatus.

4.CurrentSituationofLanguagePlanninginChina

LanguageplanninginChinaconsistsoftwoaspects:theChineselanguageplanningandminoritylanguageplanning.TheChineselanguage(specificallyreferringtoPutonghua,theStandardMandarinChinese)isthenationallanguage.ItslegalpositionisprescribedbytheConstitutionofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,andtheNationalLanguageandWritingLaw.ActofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,whichmeansthatinvariousformaldomainssuchasstateaffairs,politics,economics,educationandmedia,Putonghuashouldbetheprimarylanguagethatisused.Atthesametime,throughoutthecountryandinthemulti-nationalregions,Chineseisacommonvehicleofcommunicationamongdifferentnationalities.ApartfromChinese,therearemorethan120minoritylanguages(Wang,2003).Intheminoritynationalitiesareassuchasthevariousautonomouscounties,prefecturesandregions,peoplehavetherightofusinglocallanguagesandwritings,whicharesafeguarded,asstatedintherelatedlaws:EthnicMinorityRegionAutonomyActofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,EducationActofthePeople'sRepublicofChina,andCompulsoryEducationActofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Asaresult,bilingualismandmultilingualismarecommonintheethnicminoritylanguageareas.

5.Conclusion

Generally,thepresentEnglishinstructioninChinaischaracterizedbyoverutilitarianism,lowmotivation,anddiscontinuity,withconsequencesoftest-orientedteachingandlearning,learners'lowEnglishcompetency,illegalopportunisticconduct,andwasteofeducationalresources.Theapplicablestrategytoreversethedisadvantageoustendencyistocarryouttheapplicableeducationpolicies(English-Chinesebilingualinstruction)basedupontheprinciplesofcommunication-orientation,content-basis,andcontinuity.TherealizationofeffectivelanguageeducationispreconditionedbycertainadjustmentstoeducationalpoliciesinvolvingestablishmentofanewEnglishinstructionalandassessmentsystem,trainingofbilingualteachers,andoftheformulationbelongtocorrespondinglegalregulations.Infact,thesespoliciesmicrocosmicreform,andthelimitationofmicrocosmicreform-timeconsumingandinefficientphenomenonisobvious.Here,thenecessityofmacroscopicreformisemphasizedtoimproveourforeignlanguageteaching.

1刘胡英，女，(1976-),湖南长沙人，讲师，美国威斯康辛州立大学英语教育硕士。联系方式：shirleyliuhuying@sina.com；13875921897