Englishization and language change in modern Chinese in Taiwan
Journal
World Englishes
Journal Volume
13
Journal Issue
2
Pages
167-184
Date Issued
1994
Author(s)
Abstract
ABSTRACT: This paper is a study of the impact of English on modern Chinese morphology and syntax in Taiwan. This process, termed ‘Englishization’(Kachru, 1989), was initiated by the translation of Western literary works, mainly from English, into written Chinese. First, the historical background of this process in modern Chinese will be briefly addressed. Second, the morphological and syntactic features of Chinese that have been influenced by English, and the mechanism by which these features have been brought about, will be discussed. This study has two purposes: to describe the Englishized features based primarily on previous observations of other scholars, and to present new observations of the recent developments in this process. The evidence comes from limited empirical data collected from newspapers, magazines, and creative literary texts. This research has confirmed that translation is an initiator of syntactic change and provides the mechanism through which such a process takes place. The results of the study indicate that the Englishization of modern Chinese, initiated by translation, has developed further with time and has become an inevitable trend.
SDGs
Publisher
Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Type
journal article
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