A Pilot Study of Contextualizing English in the Chinese Context: Using Ha Jin's "In the Pond"
Location
Grissom Hall, Room 126
Start Date
5-3-2016 11:15 AM
End Date
5-3-2016 11:45 AM
Description
Many researchers in the field of world Englishes have argued about the legitimacy of China English as a variety of English. Most believe that China English has not yet been institutionalized as Indian English, Singapore English, and other English varieties in the Outer-Circle. This study explores both the linguistic items and the cultural elements of China English in the book In the Pond, written by an award-winning Chinese author, Ha Jin, to demonstrate how the English language has been contextualized in the Chinese context. Results indicate that the transfer of contextual units from Chinese culture to Anglo-American culture justifies the use of China English. Although this may cause difficulties for non-Chinese English readers at the interpretability level, it should not be regarded as “mistakes.”
A Pilot Study of Contextualizing English in the Chinese Context: Using Ha Jin's "In the Pond"
Grissom Hall, Room 126
Many researchers in the field of world Englishes have argued about the legitimacy of China English as a variety of English. Most believe that China English has not yet been institutionalized as Indian English, Singapore English, and other English varieties in the Outer-Circle. This study explores both the linguistic items and the cultural elements of China English in the book In the Pond, written by an award-winning Chinese author, Ha Jin, to demonstrate how the English language has been contextualized in the Chinese context. Results indicate that the transfer of contextual units from Chinese culture to Anglo-American culture justifies the use of China English. Although this may cause difficulties for non-Chinese English readers at the interpretability level, it should not be regarded as “mistakes.”