Language Reform is Not a Dinner Party: The Evolution of Language, Literacy, and Identity in China
Abstract:
The Chinese language has been evolving since it was first developed. In the 18th century, however, under the onslaught of foreign encroachment in the China, reformers targeted language as one of the things keeping China backward. Instead of allowing the language to develop naturally, there was a period of artificial language development in the form of language reform. Various attempts at language reform occurred under the Qing Dynasty, the rule of the Guomindang in Republican China, and most recently under the Chinese Communist Party. These reforms fall into three categories. First, there were widespread attempts to create an alphabet to transcribe Chinese characters. Second, some characters were themselves simplified and their stroke order reduced. Third, a ‘common speech’ based on Beijing dialect was developed for the entire country. The purpose of this study is to examine the purposes of language reform and some of the effects it has had on the Chinese people. The main stated purpose of language reform was increased literacy, but it also had a great impact on Chinese identity. Throughout Chinese history, the ruling power has used language to control the population. The dynasties controlled access to language. The CCP granted widespread access to language, then used propaganda to control the population.