Linguistic choices in the Chinese workplace: A language ecology perspective

This chapter reports on an investigation of the choice of linguistic codes including languages and dialects in the professional workplace in contemporary China. The Study was informed by current research on language ecology, market value, and indexicality and based on a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews with petrochemical professionals in Xi'an and Beijing. Several salient features regarding the use of linguistic codes by the professionals were identified: (1) 'putonghua' and written Chinese are commonly used in the workplace; (2) English is not as commonly used as might have been imagined in the craze for the international language; (3) despite the recognition of the local dialects, 'beijinghua' and 'shaanxihua', as being and important cultural asset, they are not used extensively in the workplace. On the basis of these results, the chapter argues for a linguistic ecological perspective in the choice of linguistic codes in the Chinese workplace and the need to consider the local and global dynamics of political, social, and economic forces in accounting for code choice in different settings.