Changes in language choices and language use in Shanghai

What is it about?

As China undergoes radical transformations in recent years, largescale changes in language choices and language use are also taking place, especially in large cities. For example, barely a generation ago, Shanghai Chinese was a highly prestigious spoken form and the dominant means of communication in the city. Today, however, Standard Chinese (Mandarin) has taken over the lead and become the dominant spoken form. Changes of such a speed and scale provide excellent opportunities for linguistic research. In this study we focus on language choices and language use in Shanghai. Our data show that the overall use of Standard Chinese is 55%, followed by Shanghai at 30%, English at 7%, and others at 8%. The result offers quantitative confirmation of observations made by both the media and linguistic scholars, namely, Shanghai Chinese has lost its dominance and is no longer the main spoken form. Language choices and language use are also related to age, namely, the younger the age, the more use of Mandarin and the less use of Shanghai Chinese. Finally, we offer an account of language use in terms of changes in language attitude and the percentage of Shanghai residents whose native tongue is not Shanghai Chinese.

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Why is it important?

This is a first large survey of this kind in a Chinese city.