A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Mandarin Chinese as a Global Lingua Franca
Hughson T. ONG
Minnan University of Science and Technology
Page 125-141
Abstract: Discussions on whether Mandarin Chinese can become a or the global language in both popular and scholarly publications have largely focused on the global macroeconomic, socio-political, and geostrategic factors to ascertain this linguistic possibility. By contrast, this paper analyzes the issue from a narrower perspective using linguistic and sociolinguistic theories. It offers linguistic perspectives on the politically-loaded and power-driven terms “global language” and “global lingua franca,” the potentialities of Mandarin Chinese as a global lingua franca, and the global linguistic community that is described as multilingual and multiglossic.
Keywords: Mandarin Chinese, global language, global lingua franca, sociolinguistics, multilingualism, foreign language education
DOI: 10.53397/hunnu.jflc.202502011
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