REFLEXIONS ON NATIONAL LANGUAGE CAPACITY

Li Yuming

Beijing Language and Culture University,

People’s Republic of China

Abstract

The article deals with the complex concept of national linguistic competence in the context of language planning in the People’s Republic of China. Despite the fact that language planning in different countries of the world varies, its goals, in a general sense, are similar: firstly, it is the management of language life based on the interests of the state; secondly, meeting the requirements for the language in connection with solving the problems of public administration. With regard to China, the first goal can be formulated as “creating a harmonious language life”, the second – as “increasing the national language competence” due to its insufficient level in comparison with the developed countries and does not meet the modern requirements of the country’s development. In this regard, the author proposes a number of measures to improve the national language competence in China, based on a study of the current language situation in the country. These measures include the development of language planning for foreign languages ​​in China, the development of a strategy for the international dissemination of the Chinese language in the field of science, the comprehensive development of the citizens’ language competence, the development of modern language technologies, as well as improving the management of the country’s linguistic life.

Keywords: national language capacity, modern linguistic technologies, language life, language planning, foreign languages, strategy of the Chinese language promotion

For citation: Li Yuming. Reflexions on national language capacity [online] // Sociolinguistics. 2021. No. 4 (8). Pp. 8–24. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.37892/2713-2951–4–8–8–24