Language and Social Change in China

Language and Social Change in China: Undoing Commonness through Cosmopolitan Mandarin offers an innovative and authoritative account of the crucial role of language in shaping the sociocultural landscape of contemporary China. Ideal for students and scholars interested in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and Chinese language and society.

Qing Zhang is Associate Professor in the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, USA.

Introduction: Emerging Social Distinctions and the Semiotic Inadequacy of the "Common Speech" Chapter 1. Sociolinguistic Change, Style, and Ideology Chapter 2. Beijing Yuppies: The New Business Elite Chapter 3. Cosmopolitan Mandarin in the Making of Beijing Yuppies Chapter 4. Cosmopolitan Mandarin in the Making of a New Chinese Middle-Class Consumer Chapter 5. Warring Standards: Contesting the Enregisterment of Cosmopolitan Mandarin Chapter 6. A Style-Based Approach to Sociolinguistic Change