Chronotopes, language practices and language shift: an ethnographic study of the Blang community in China

• Autores: Sixuan Wang, Aniko Hatoss
• Localización: International journal of multilingualism, ISSN 1479-0718, Vol. 20, Nº. 3, 2023, págs. 1250-1267
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This study explores language practices of the Blang people and their perceptions of the changes in language ecology through the lens of chronotopes, hoping to better understand patterns of language shift in the Blang community in China. It takes a qualitative approach and draws on semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations conducted in the Blang Mountain Township, Yunnan province, China. The study reveals that the Blang community has been undergoing a gradual shift from Blang to Chinese, and the decline of Blang has been most noticeable amongst the younger generation. This study uses a narrative approach with a focus on chronotopization in narratives to explore language shift. It contributes to our understanding of the way participants position themselves vis-a-vis the decline of their native tongue in the changing language ecology. Their accounts reveal the dynamic dialogic interrelationship between structure (conceptualised as external pressures) and agency (conceptualised as individuals’ freedom of action). The study contributes to the methodology of using chronotopes in sociolinguistic research.