Models for Trilingual Education in the People’s Republic of China

Bob Adamson; Anwei Feng

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7317-2_3

Models for Trilingual Education in the People’s Republic of China

Bob Adamson^*
, Anwei Feng

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Book Chapter › peer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Since 2002, the People’s Republic of China has instigated a variety of language policies in education ostensibly designed to foster trilingualism in ethnic minority groups. This chapter reports the findings of a project studying the implementation of trilingual education policies (covering the ethnic minority language, Chinese and English) in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jilin, Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai and Tibet. The study identifies four models of trilingual education—accretive, balanced, transitional and depreciative—that have emerged in the different regions, and explores reasons for the various manifestations. While there appears to be consensus among key stakeholders regarding the potential benefits of trilingual education, the differences in the four models reveal tensions in the context of policy implementation.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Minority Languages and Multilingual Education : Bridging the Local and the Global
Editors	Durk Gorter, Victoria Zenotz, Jasone Cenoz
Place of Publication	Dordrecht
Publisher	Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Pages	29-44
Number of pages	16
ISBN (Print)	9789401779982
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7317-2_3
Publication status	Published - 2014
Externally published	Yes

Publication series

Name	Educational Linguistics
Volume	18
ISSN (Print)	1572-0292
ISSN (Electronic)	2215-1656

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 4 Quality Education

Free Keywords

Bilingualism
Chinese
English
Language policy
Minority language
Trilingual education

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Education
Language and Linguistics
Linguistics and Language

Access to Document

10.1007/978-94-007-7317-2_3

Cite this

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title = "Models for Trilingual Education in the People{\textquoteright}s Republic of China",

abstract = "Since 2002, the People{\textquoteright}s Republic of China has instigated a variety of language policies in education ostensibly designed to foster trilingualism in ethnic minority groups. This chapter reports the findings of a project studying the implementation of trilingual education policies (covering the ethnic minority language, Chinese and English) in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jilin, Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai and Tibet. The study identifies four models of trilingual education—accretive, balanced, transitional and depreciative—that have emerged in the different regions, and explores reasons for the various manifestations. While there appears to be consensus among key stakeholders regarding the potential benefits of trilingual education, the differences in the four models reveal tensions in the context of policy implementation.",

keywords = "Bilingualism, Chinese, English, Language policy, Minority language, Trilingual education",

author = "Bob Adamson and Anwei Feng",

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year = "2014",

doi = "10.1007/978-94-007-7317-2\_3",

language = "English",

isbn = "9789401779982",

series = "Educational Linguistics",

publisher = "Springer Science+Business Media B.V.",

pages = "29--44",

editor = "Gorter, \{ Durk \} and Zenotz, \{Victoria \} and Cenoz, \{Jasone \}",

booktitle = "Minority Languages and Multilingual Education : Bridging the Local and the Global",

}

Models for Trilingual Education in the People’s Republic of China. / Adamson, Bob; Feng, Anwei.
Minority Languages and Multilingual Education : Bridging the Local and the Global. ed. / Durk Gorter; Victoria Zenotz; Jasone Cenoz. Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2014. p. 29-44 (Educational Linguistics; Vol. 18).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Book Chapter › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - Models for Trilingual Education in the People’s Republic of China

AU - Adamson, Bob

AU - Feng, Anwei

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Since 2002, the People’s Republic of China has instigated a variety of language policies in education ostensibly designed to foster trilingualism in ethnic minority groups. This chapter reports the findings of a project studying the implementation of trilingual education policies (covering the ethnic minority language, Chinese and English) in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jilin, Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai and Tibet. The study identifies four models of trilingual education—accretive, balanced, transitional and depreciative—that have emerged in the different regions, and explores reasons for the various manifestations. While there appears to be consensus among key stakeholders regarding the potential benefits of trilingual education, the differences in the four models reveal tensions in the context of policy implementation.

AB - Since 2002, the People’s Republic of China has instigated a variety of language policies in education ostensibly designed to foster trilingualism in ethnic minority groups. This chapter reports the findings of a project studying the implementation of trilingual education policies (covering the ethnic minority language, Chinese and English) in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jilin, Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai and Tibet. The study identifies four models of trilingual education—accretive, balanced, transitional and depreciative—that have emerged in the different regions, and explores reasons for the various manifestations. While there appears to be consensus among key stakeholders regarding the potential benefits of trilingual education, the differences in the four models reveal tensions in the context of policy implementation.

KW - Bilingualism

KW - Chinese

KW - English

KW - Language policy

KW - Minority language

KW - Trilingual education

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DO - 10.1007/978-94-007-7317-2_3

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AN - SCOPUS:85091084972

SN - 9789401779982

T3 - Educational Linguistics

SP - 29

EP - 44

BT - Minority Languages and Multilingual Education : Bridging the Local and the Global

A2 - Gorter, Durk

A2 - Zenotz, Victoria

A2 - Cenoz, Jasone

PB - Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

CY - Dordrecht

ER -

Models for Trilingual Education in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Publication series

UN SDGs

Free Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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