Designed to Unite, Language Law Divides China
08 January 2001
Summary
A new language law banning broadcasters from using anything other
than standard Beijing-style Mandarin Chinese went into effect
Jan. 1 in China. The law primarily targets Chinese speakers in the
southeastern provinces, where Cantonese, Hakkan and Min dialects
are common. While Beijing enacted the law to minimize regional and
foreign influences in China, an unintended consequence may be the
emergence of dissidents based on linguistic and cultural identity
among the majority Han Chinese.
Analysis
A new Law on the National Common Language, which promotes the
standard Beijing form of Mandarin Chinese, went into effect Jan. 1
in China. The law bans television and radio announcers from using
dialects, accents or other forms of non-standard Mandarin, and
makes grammatical errors in billboards a criminal offense.
Passed last October, the law was established in part to bring
unity to the more than 50 ethnic groups in China, which speak more
than 75 languages. The law emphasizes Beijing's concern for regional
identities and foreign influences that detract from centralized
control. In attempting to assert Beijing as the center of Chinese
identity, the Chinese government may instead be creating a culture
of dissidents based on linguistic heritage, particularly in the
prosperous southeast, where Cantonese and other southern dialects
are common.
China has long sought to standardize its language system, both as a
means of unifying its diverse population and aiding centralized
control. While Han Chinese has been considered a standard for
centuries, even its eight dialects - including Mandarin and
Cantonese - are so different they are often considered separate
languages, each with their own local dialects.
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