Chinese and English in the Globalization Epoch

Abstract

Since the beginning of the period of “reform and opening-up” in the PRC, English became а part of the college entrance examination system gaokao. In the 2010s Chinese linguists even actively discussed the appearance of a new variety of English, the so called ‘China English’ or ‘Chinese-style English’. On the one hand, China understands that without the knowledge of the English language, the country will not be able to take its proper place in the world and successfully participate in the global competition, both economic and civilizational. On the other hand, at present the growing influence of English worries many politicians, public figures and linguists. In particular, they believe that it changes the attitude of the Chinese to their native language and character script, the most important dimensions of the Chinese civilization and the symbols of national identity. The issue of the permissible scale of English learning in the education system and even the exclusion of English from the gaokao system has been repeatedly raised in the country. At the same time, the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies has initiated an investigation of the frequency and the degree of recognition of the new Chinese words in the English texts.