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【Abstract】Adopting the selected analytical framework， this paper tries to analyze the policies that the provincial government of Guangxi has made to protect and promote the minority language of Zhuang. The purpose is to examine whether these policies are effective to revitalize and protect Zhuang language.
【Key words】minority language; language policy; language protection
【作者簡介】黎姿，三亚学院。
Making appropriate policies to protect and promote minority languages is an essential mission for the governments and measures that support the policies are also needed. From the political point of view， language is a potential source of conflicts if proper measures are not taken. China is a multi-ethnic country with 56 ethnics， among which 55 are minorities， so ethic unity is very significant to the national stability， leading to the necessity of legitimating minorities and thus promoting their associated languages’ social status. Appropriate minority language policies are therefore effective means to reduce or even prevent tensions.
On the other hand， from a lingual point of view， the spread， maintenance and decline of language is dynamic， making it more demanding for language policy makers. As the carrier of culture， many languages with small group of speakers are dying out in a remarkably rapid way， resulting in the extinction of many cultures. Therefore， effective minority language policy must be implemented before the languages are trapped in the plight of survival. The same is true in China.
Zhuang language is used by the Zhuang minority， which has the largest population among the 55 minorities in China. People from Zhuang minority mainly reside in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， others gather in provinces such as Guangdong and Guizhou. However， in spite of the large population of Zhuang minority， there are some studies showing that speakers of Zhuang language are declining in recent years. Wujun Liu （2016） carried out a study in Baise， a major habitat of Zhuang people in Guangxi， to probe into the difficulties in protecting Zhuang language under the background of urbanization and found that increasing local Zhuang people cannot speak Zhuang language， a worrying fact that threatens the inheritance and development of Zhuang culture. Geng Xia （2017） conducted a survey in Maodong village in Guangxi’s Laibin city to study the ecological protection of Zhuang language and found that compared to natural ecological factors， social ecological factors had laid more effects on Zhuang language. Economic ecology had restricted the social and cultural functions of Zhuang language， and the insufficient recognition of Zhuang language’s value had affected people’s attitude towards the language thus restricted their use of it， leading to the deconstruction of the language’s ecology. The studies mentioned above show that in addition to the popularization of Mandarin， which declines application of Zhuang language， urbanization is another tendency that affects the number of speakers of Zhuang language in recent years. Less members in Zhuang families speak Zhuang language， as job-seeking adults swarm into big cities and communicate in Mandarin， the dominant language in cities. Affected by dominant lingual environment， more and more parents who find jobs in cities prefer to speak with their children in Mandarin， thus affecting the way their children communicate with grandparents. As a result， use of Zhuang language declines at a rapid pace.
Another concern is that there are only few occasions where people can communicate in Zhuang language in the social context. Zhuang people who move to cities must abandon their own language and fit themselves to the dominant language environment in cities. As a result， younger generations are unlikely to speak Zhuang language.
2.1 Data collection
In China， Guangxi is the most densely populated area for Zhuang people. Demographic census taken in Guangxi in 2016 showed that 32% of the 48 million permanent residents in Guangxi are Zhuang people. The government has been making planning to protect Zhuang language and preserve Zhuang culture since 1950s. The most remarkable department is the Minority Language and Literature Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region （for convenience， this department will be addressed as the Committee later in this paper）， which was established in 1954 and had overseen the job to protect and promote minority languages since then.
The basic functions of the Committee can be described as：
·to propagandize and implement the laws， regulations and policies made by the state and autonomous region on the work of minority languages and literature; drafting local regulations on the work of minority languages and literature throughout the region; taking charge of the normalization， standardization and information processing of minority languages and literature in the region;
·to undertake scientific researches of minority languages and literature in the region， organizing and carrying out scientific research projects of minority languages and literature in the region， and undertaking the rescue， sorting， protection and inheritance of the heritage of minority languages and literature;
·to take charge of the codification， accreditation and publication of the reference books of minority languages and literature in the region; undertaking relevant work of Guangxi Minority Languages and Literature Academic Association; ·to undertake the guidance， supervision and inspection of the study and use of minority languages such as Zhuang， Miao， Dong and Yi languages; studying on and resolving major problems in the work of minority languages and literature in the whole region; making suggestions for strengthening and standardizing the work of minority languages and literature;
·to undertake the translation of minority languages and literature throughout the region; undertaking the two-way translations of publications in the national common language， foreign languages and minority languages;
·to undertake foreign exchanges and cooperation in the field of minority languages; undertaking the work of the education and training of government officials and employees.
The data collected for this paper are mainly from the website of the Committee （http：//www.gxmyw.com.cn/） to ensure reliable sources.
2.2 Data classification
By searching on the website of the Committee， the author found that Zhuang Language policy in Guangxi is reflected in the following three aspects： legislation， researches and application.
a. Legislation
Legislation is the most important part to ensure the successful implementation of Zhuang language policy. The 13th Five-Year Plan for the implementation of minority languages and literature was issued by the National Minority Committee in 2017. The principles of the plan included： implementing minority languages policy according to the national regulations; promoting and standardizing the use of national common languages and literature， ensuring that all ethnic groups have the freedom to use and develop their own languages and literature; promoting the development of minority languages and literature in a scientific way; giving full play to the important role of minority languages and literature; adhering to the goal of unity and progress， encouraging all ethnic groups to learn from each other; building a harmonious language environment to promote the harmonious relationship between different ethnic groups.
As an echo to the national plan， the Committee in Guangxi released its newest regulations on the work of minority language and literature in the region this July. According to the regulations， the government encourages and supports the use of writing system of Zhuang language in areas where Zhuang people are densely populated. In addition， Zhuang language is recognized as one of the official languages in these areas， alongside with Mandarin. For example， language used on the websites and in the working areas of official departments in these areas must adopt Zhuang language as one of the official languages to serve the people. b. Academy
On the website of the Committee， one can see that there is a column called Minority Languages Researches， with sub-sections including research achievements in minority languages， minority languages working forum， standardization of new words and expressions of minority languages （mostly Zhuang language） as well as feature stories introducing those who made significant contributions in this field.
Research achievements displayed on the website include the codification of Zhuang language dictionaries， Zhuang-Chinese two-way dictionaries and Zhuang-Chinese-English triple-way dictionaries as well as publications on researches of Zhuang language and culture.
c. Application
Application of Zhuang language is mainly consisting of Zhuang language test and the employment of the language in various domains. Zhuang language test was initiated in 2013 and has been held annually since then. Whoever intends to take the test is free of charge， for the government encourages and supports people to take it. The test is classified as three levels： preliminary， intermediate and advanced， with vocabulary demanding of 3000 words， 4000 words and 5000 words respectively. The test consists of general knowledge of Zhuang language and literature， words and expressions， sentence-making， comprehensive reading， Zhuang-Chinese two-way translation as well as writing. Dominant medias are supposed to disseminate the test through various ways.
Apart from the test of Zhuang language， the committee plans and organizes many other events to further promote the application of Zhuang language and culture and provide people with the opportunities to use the language. For example， Zhuang Folk Song Festival， a traditional event for Zhuang people in which young males and females singing folk songs to each other to express their love， is celebrated in March each year; Spring Festival Gala using Zhuang language is also held to entertain the public since 2017; TV channels and programme using Zhuang language are set up to popularize the language; traditional Zhuang sports meeting is held to promote Zhuang culture.
What’s more important， bilingual education in Zhuang language and Madarin has approved in kindergartens， primary and secondary schools in Zhuang areas. Standardized teaching materials are published to serve bilingual education in these areas. This is a significant measure to protect and promote Zhuang language and culture against the trend of urbanization which declines users of the language. 2.3 Theoretical Framework
The analytical framework adopted in this paper relies a lot on the language policy evaluation theory that Grin （2003） has proposed in his book， Language Policy Evaluation and the European Charter on Regional or Minority Languages. According to Grin， the notion of policy in terms of language planning is a narrow one， like the notion of measures. In other words， policy refers to “the way in which a particular goal is being pursued， rather than to the goal itself” （Grin， 2003， p. 21）. Zhuang language policy is in line with Grin’s definition of policy in this sense.
In terms of policy analysis， a significant measurement Grin （2003） proposed is rationale. Rationality of language policy， as Grin explained， lies in whether it serves certain goals of the policy. Therefore， according to Grin， both the rationality of a language policy and the outcomes it achieves should be taken into consideration before we conclude whether it is effective or not.
There are three conditions for language use that can be viewed as indicators of a policy’s outcomes， namely the “capacity， opportunity and desire” （Grin， 2003， p. 43） of the language.
The condition of capacity means that “members of language community must know the language， and if they do not know it， or only to an inadequate degree of competence， they should be given the opportunity to learn it” （Grin， 2003， p. 43）. Capacity is therefore an essential condition for a language to fully play its role and survive.
The condition of opportunity refers to the chances or occasions where users of certain languages can use their languages freely on their own choice. When in their private spaces， such as homes， individuals are free to decide which language they speak. However， to vitalize a language， the state must provide opportunities for individuals to use their language not only within but also outside their private spaces. In other words， individuals should have the opportunities to use their own language in public places， otherwise they were not allowed to use the language even when they are capable. Opportunity is the premise of capacity and desire.
The condition of desire is closely related to the individuals’ personal choice of language. Desire refers to the individuals’ willingness to use a language and to show their identities. Only when their own languages are widely accepted and not being loathed， would people like to use their languages in public occasions. This is a broader issue of whether their identities and cultures are accepted by the dominant society. To sum up， the rationality of a language policy is determined the outcomes it generates， which can be indicated by whether it provides the conditions of capacity， opportunity and desire. Based on this theory， Zhuang language policy in Guangxi will be analyzed applying the collected data. The purpose of the analysis is to examine whether the policy’s outcomes make it a rational one.
【Key words】minority language; language policy; language protection
【作者簡介】黎姿，三亚学院。
1. Introduction
Making appropriate policies to protect and promote minority languages is an essential mission for the governments and measures that support the policies are also needed. From the political point of view， language is a potential source of conflicts if proper measures are not taken. China is a multi-ethnic country with 56 ethnics， among which 55 are minorities， so ethic unity is very significant to the national stability， leading to the necessity of legitimating minorities and thus promoting their associated languages’ social status. Appropriate minority language policies are therefore effective means to reduce or even prevent tensions.
On the other hand， from a lingual point of view， the spread， maintenance and decline of language is dynamic， making it more demanding for language policy makers. As the carrier of culture， many languages with small group of speakers are dying out in a remarkably rapid way， resulting in the extinction of many cultures. Therefore， effective minority language policy must be implemented before the languages are trapped in the plight of survival. The same is true in China.
Zhuang language is used by the Zhuang minority， which has the largest population among the 55 minorities in China. People from Zhuang minority mainly reside in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， others gather in provinces such as Guangdong and Guizhou. However， in spite of the large population of Zhuang minority， there are some studies showing that speakers of Zhuang language are declining in recent years. Wujun Liu （2016） carried out a study in Baise， a major habitat of Zhuang people in Guangxi， to probe into the difficulties in protecting Zhuang language under the background of urbanization and found that increasing local Zhuang people cannot speak Zhuang language， a worrying fact that threatens the inheritance and development of Zhuang culture. Geng Xia （2017） conducted a survey in Maodong village in Guangxi’s Laibin city to study the ecological protection of Zhuang language and found that compared to natural ecological factors， social ecological factors had laid more effects on Zhuang language. Economic ecology had restricted the social and cultural functions of Zhuang language， and the insufficient recognition of Zhuang language’s value had affected people’s attitude towards the language thus restricted their use of it， leading to the deconstruction of the language’s ecology. The studies mentioned above show that in addition to the popularization of Mandarin， which declines application of Zhuang language， urbanization is another tendency that affects the number of speakers of Zhuang language in recent years. Less members in Zhuang families speak Zhuang language， as job-seeking adults swarm into big cities and communicate in Mandarin， the dominant language in cities. Affected by dominant lingual environment， more and more parents who find jobs in cities prefer to speak with their children in Mandarin， thus affecting the way their children communicate with grandparents. As a result， use of Zhuang language declines at a rapid pace.
Another concern is that there are only few occasions where people can communicate in Zhuang language in the social context. Zhuang people who move to cities must abandon their own language and fit themselves to the dominant language environment in cities. As a result， younger generations are unlikely to speak Zhuang language.
2. Methodology
2.1 Data collection
In China， Guangxi is the most densely populated area for Zhuang people. Demographic census taken in Guangxi in 2016 showed that 32% of the 48 million permanent residents in Guangxi are Zhuang people. The government has been making planning to protect Zhuang language and preserve Zhuang culture since 1950s. The most remarkable department is the Minority Language and Literature Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region （for convenience， this department will be addressed as the Committee later in this paper）， which was established in 1954 and had overseen the job to protect and promote minority languages since then.
The basic functions of the Committee can be described as：
·to propagandize and implement the laws， regulations and policies made by the state and autonomous region on the work of minority languages and literature; drafting local regulations on the work of minority languages and literature throughout the region; taking charge of the normalization， standardization and information processing of minority languages and literature in the region;
·to undertake scientific researches of minority languages and literature in the region， organizing and carrying out scientific research projects of minority languages and literature in the region， and undertaking the rescue， sorting， protection and inheritance of the heritage of minority languages and literature;
·to take charge of the codification， accreditation and publication of the reference books of minority languages and literature in the region; undertaking relevant work of Guangxi Minority Languages and Literature Academic Association; ·to undertake the guidance， supervision and inspection of the study and use of minority languages such as Zhuang， Miao， Dong and Yi languages; studying on and resolving major problems in the work of minority languages and literature in the whole region; making suggestions for strengthening and standardizing the work of minority languages and literature;
·to undertake the translation of minority languages and literature throughout the region; undertaking the two-way translations of publications in the national common language， foreign languages and minority languages;
·to undertake foreign exchanges and cooperation in the field of minority languages; undertaking the work of the education and training of government officials and employees.
The data collected for this paper are mainly from the website of the Committee （http：//www.gxmyw.com.cn/） to ensure reliable sources.
2.2 Data classification
By searching on the website of the Committee， the author found that Zhuang Language policy in Guangxi is reflected in the following three aspects： legislation， researches and application.
a. Legislation
Legislation is the most important part to ensure the successful implementation of Zhuang language policy. The 13th Five-Year Plan for the implementation of minority languages and literature was issued by the National Minority Committee in 2017. The principles of the plan included： implementing minority languages policy according to the national regulations; promoting and standardizing the use of national common languages and literature， ensuring that all ethnic groups have the freedom to use and develop their own languages and literature; promoting the development of minority languages and literature in a scientific way; giving full play to the important role of minority languages and literature; adhering to the goal of unity and progress， encouraging all ethnic groups to learn from each other; building a harmonious language environment to promote the harmonious relationship between different ethnic groups.
As an echo to the national plan， the Committee in Guangxi released its newest regulations on the work of minority language and literature in the region this July. According to the regulations， the government encourages and supports the use of writing system of Zhuang language in areas where Zhuang people are densely populated. In addition， Zhuang language is recognized as one of the official languages in these areas， alongside with Mandarin. For example， language used on the websites and in the working areas of official departments in these areas must adopt Zhuang language as one of the official languages to serve the people. b. Academy
On the website of the Committee， one can see that there is a column called Minority Languages Researches， with sub-sections including research achievements in minority languages， minority languages working forum， standardization of new words and expressions of minority languages （mostly Zhuang language） as well as feature stories introducing those who made significant contributions in this field.
Research achievements displayed on the website include the codification of Zhuang language dictionaries， Zhuang-Chinese two-way dictionaries and Zhuang-Chinese-English triple-way dictionaries as well as publications on researches of Zhuang language and culture.
c. Application
Application of Zhuang language is mainly consisting of Zhuang language test and the employment of the language in various domains. Zhuang language test was initiated in 2013 and has been held annually since then. Whoever intends to take the test is free of charge， for the government encourages and supports people to take it. The test is classified as three levels： preliminary， intermediate and advanced， with vocabulary demanding of 3000 words， 4000 words and 5000 words respectively. The test consists of general knowledge of Zhuang language and literature， words and expressions， sentence-making， comprehensive reading， Zhuang-Chinese two-way translation as well as writing. Dominant medias are supposed to disseminate the test through various ways.
Apart from the test of Zhuang language， the committee plans and organizes many other events to further promote the application of Zhuang language and culture and provide people with the opportunities to use the language. For example， Zhuang Folk Song Festival， a traditional event for Zhuang people in which young males and females singing folk songs to each other to express their love， is celebrated in March each year; Spring Festival Gala using Zhuang language is also held to entertain the public since 2017; TV channels and programme using Zhuang language are set up to popularize the language; traditional Zhuang sports meeting is held to promote Zhuang culture.
What’s more important， bilingual education in Zhuang language and Madarin has approved in kindergartens， primary and secondary schools in Zhuang areas. Standardized teaching materials are published to serve bilingual education in these areas. This is a significant measure to protect and promote Zhuang language and culture against the trend of urbanization which declines users of the language. 2.3 Theoretical Framework
The analytical framework adopted in this paper relies a lot on the language policy evaluation theory that Grin （2003） has proposed in his book， Language Policy Evaluation and the European Charter on Regional or Minority Languages. According to Grin， the notion of policy in terms of language planning is a narrow one， like the notion of measures. In other words， policy refers to “the way in which a particular goal is being pursued， rather than to the goal itself” （Grin， 2003， p. 21）. Zhuang language policy is in line with Grin’s definition of policy in this sense.
In terms of policy analysis， a significant measurement Grin （2003） proposed is rationale. Rationality of language policy， as Grin explained， lies in whether it serves certain goals of the policy. Therefore， according to Grin， both the rationality of a language policy and the outcomes it achieves should be taken into consideration before we conclude whether it is effective or not.
There are three conditions for language use that can be viewed as indicators of a policy’s outcomes， namely the “capacity， opportunity and desire” （Grin， 2003， p. 43） of the language.
The condition of capacity means that “members of language community must know the language， and if they do not know it， or only to an inadequate degree of competence， they should be given the opportunity to learn it” （Grin， 2003， p. 43）. Capacity is therefore an essential condition for a language to fully play its role and survive.
The condition of opportunity refers to the chances or occasions where users of certain languages can use their languages freely on their own choice. When in their private spaces， such as homes， individuals are free to decide which language they speak. However， to vitalize a language， the state must provide opportunities for individuals to use their language not only within but also outside their private spaces. In other words， individuals should have the opportunities to use their own language in public places， otherwise they were not allowed to use the language even when they are capable. Opportunity is the premise of capacity and desire.
The condition of desire is closely related to the individuals’ personal choice of language. Desire refers to the individuals’ willingness to use a language and to show their identities. Only when their own languages are widely accepted and not being loathed， would people like to use their languages in public occasions. This is a broader issue of whether their identities and cultures are accepted by the dominant society. To sum up， the rationality of a language policy is determined the outcomes it generates， which can be indicated by whether it provides the conditions of capacity， opportunity and desire. Based on this theory， Zhuang language policy in Guangxi will be analyzed applying the collected data. The purpose of the analysis is to examine whether the policy’s outcomes make it a rational one.