Script choice among the Miao in China

• Autores: Joakim Enwall
• Localización: International journal of the sociology of language, ISSN 0165-2516, Nº. 192, 2008, págs. 153-169
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The present article aims at analyzing script choice among the Miao in China from the perspective of sociolinguistic aspects of script choice presented by Unseth (2005). The history of script choice among the Miao in China presents a microcosm encompassing most of the relevant factors for script choice listed by Unseth, and this gives ample opportunities for studying this phenomenon in settings that share some common traits including geography, ethnic composition, historical development, and a political system. Factors explaining the relative success of the many scripts devised for various varieties of Miao are explored. The general decreasing use of Miao scripts during the last decades must also be viewed within the context of increasing assimilation and China's rapid changes.