Introduction

Abstract

The research issues of English-related linguistic creativity and language commodification have never ceased to be an intriguing subject of inquiry among scholars in a multiplicity of fields, such as linguistic anthropology, education, sociolinguistics, and translation. In the context of mainland China, there is, too, a sizeable body of work dedicated to exploring linguistic creativity and the commodification of English. But it is indisputably the case that few studies to date are concerned exclusively with the current situation of English in post-socialist China in terms of either linguistic creativity or language commodification. Equally unsatisfactory is the common practice of addressing the two domains of inquiry discretely without attention being given to the possible intersection and intertwinement between them. The main aim of this volume is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the current situation of English-related linguistic creativity and language commodification in China.