Assessing Language Vitality and Sustainability of Minor Chinese Dialects: A Case Study of Dapeng, a Hakka–Cantonese Mixed Dialect

Abstract

The Dapeng dialect is a unique Hakka–Cantonese mixed dialect spoken by several thousand speakers in the Dapeng peninsula in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Manhattan, New York. This study reviews language vitality assessment frameworks for their applicability to Chinese languages and assesses the sustainability of the Dapeng dialect using the UNESCO Language Vitality and Endangerment scale. Despite some factors indicating low vitality, an overall assessment suggests a sustainable and vigorous use of the local dialect in the Dapeng community. This study shows that not all minor dialects in China are severely endangered. It sheds light on the complexities of language sustainability and vitality in multilingual societies, emphasizing the importance of using appropriate evaluative frameworks for an accurate view of language vitality in specific sociolinguistic ecologies. This study also contributes to discussions about language maintenance and policy in China, particularly under the tension between Putonghua and local dialects in the context of language sustainability.