ESL Speaker Series 2011

(Socio) Linguistic Innovation & Literary

Creativity in China in English

Presenter: Professor

Margie Berns

Date: 09/23/11.

Time: 5:30P-6:30P

Location: RAWL 2058

ABSTRACT: In the broadest terms, this talk is about the varieties of English associ-ated with China and the ways in which the innovative and creative function is realized in English by Chinese. These two areas are of interest because they illuminate the Chineseness of English in literary works and Chinese attitudes toward their Englishes. Literary creativity is one means of sharing Chinese experiences and a Chinese point of view through the use of English in ways that can ade-quately represent those experiences, for example, as in the work of Ha Jin. Social attitudes and issues of national identity appear to play a key role in discussions of how to name the English that Chinese learn and use, for example, whether it should be known as China English or Chinese English.

In narrower terms, this talk explores, first, the choice of “China English” as the option preferred for labeling the Chinese variety of English and, second, the “solecisms” that John Updike finds in Jin’s novel, A Free Life. It then argues that both are elements of the Chineseness of English. The assumption grounding this claim is that the –ness of an English is characterized not only by its formal linguistic features. Equally relevant are broader social and cultural contextual proper-ties, such as dominant language teaching traditions; history of contact with the English and the means of its spread; sources of norms and standards users are to follow and learners are to model; and the functional range of English within the society.