Ideological constructions of English in a Chinese university

Abstract

This study investigates the ideological constructions of English in a Chinese university. With the intensification of globalisation, increasing numbers of studies have contributed to our understanding of the spread of English in the world. However, most studies are generic interpretations, and few account for the complexities of English in specific localities. This study zooms in on a Chinese university to unveil the complex interplay of English language ideologies and practices in the social, cultural, and political contexts of China. The study adopted an ethnographic study approach, through which a variety of data were collected. During the extended stay at the site, the English practices of college students in and outside classrooms were observed. Relevant teaching administrators, teachers, and students were interviewed. Documentary data, including policy documents and other material artefacts, were also collected to achieve a holistic understanding of English practices in contexts. Informed by ‘linguistic markets’, the data were analysed and interpreted to uncover the interaction of English language ideologies and practices in four interrelated dimensions: the national context; university settings; situated English activities; and individual students. The study has identified three local markets of English, surrounding three types of English practices for college students: the College English course (CE), the off-class English learning activities (OC), and the Chinese-English bilingual education programmes (BE). The three markets of English have different ideological mechanisms that structure the markets and practices of English. In CE, the envisioned role of English was for international participation, but the practised ideologies of English were standard and native English. Given the formal language education nature of CE, these ideologies gained dominant positions, and subjugated students to their domination in CE practices, which failed to improve students’ international communication competence. Thus, students did not actually align with these ideologies, but simply took CE as a place for test preparation instead of English learning. As unsanctioned extra-curricular activities, the OC were not subject to institutional regulation, thus allowing students greater autonomy to appropriate English to their own interests, which led to the surfacing of China English for practising English in a Chinese context. Though students were willing to align with China English for local expression, they tended to confine it to local informal occasions, due to its lack of official support. In BE, both official support and local alignment of the Chinese-English combined form of bilingual education led to translanguaging practices in university subject courses. The study concludes that the spread of English in China is a dynamic negotiation of English language ideologies and practices in different situational contexts. English language education in China needs to take into consideration the social constructions of English language ideologies, and their impacts on English teaching and learning.