Zhang Jie 张洁
Language Policy and Planning for the 2008 Beijing Olympics: An Investigation of the Discursive Construction of an Olympic City and a Global Population
This study situates language practices and ideologies within China’s broader social, economic and political changes, and in particular, the preparation and hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In recent years, increasing empirical evidence has been presented indicating the use of sport for building up a positive national and/or regional image. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the language policy and planning endeavors undergirding the construction of national identity in large-scale sporting events, including the modern Olympic Games. In this study, I attempt to present a multi-dimensional critical perspective on the link between English language learning and identity politics in the context of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In doing so, the study aims to provide insights into the persistent identity dilemmas recurring throughout China’s English education history and present some broader implications for current and future Chinese language policy makers, educators and learners.
This study employs a multi-method qualitative methodology with constructionist epistemological orientations. It reports on a range of data collected in multi-site fieldwork before, during and after the Beijing Olympic Games. Specifically, the study is based on four sets of data to present a holistic picture of language practices and linguistic ideologies observed in the context under investigation: language policy documents and reports on English learning and popularization, photographs of Beijing’s linguistic landscape during the event, English teaching materials designed specifically for Olympic purposes, and interviews with Olympic volunteers, teachers and BOCOG staff about their attitudes toward English learning and the Olympiad.
The central argument of this study is that ideologies of English language learning and teaching need to be understood as local, social and political constructions in a particular society. The learning of English in China has been driven by a simplistic view of complementary language use: English for yong – modern uses and international communication; Chinese for ti – national cohesion and harmony. However, the internal paradox of the ti-yong conceptualization has produced persistent identity dilemmas in China’s English language education. In contrast to legitimized “benefits” of English in China’s mainstream discourses, Chinese learners of English have complex, nuanced, sometimes ambivalent reasons for participating in English language learning. Furthermore, the spread of English in China is inextricably linked with political decisions that benefit some groups at the expense of others, which has concomitantly contributed to various forms of social inequality. The findings of my study suggest that English is the symbolic capital for stakeholders who share a vested interest in the English training industry. At the same time, English may provide little tangible benefit for most Chinese EFL learners who learn English only for the sake of showing proof of possessing it rather than actual competence; and in some contexts, the need to learn English can even constitute a serious disadvantage for members of minority ethnic groups who may lack access to English teaching resources. Uncritically oversimplifying Chinese people’s desire for English in terms of “inherent benefits” will not only mislead Chinese learners of English but also threaten the language and social rights of disadvantaged groups.
