China and English

What is remarkable in this volume is not only the ways in which the discourses of this dichotomy resonate in the early twenty-first century, but also the ways in which new discourses, new problems and new opportunities emerge in the present. The editors are to be congratulated on this book, which offers an insightful blend of theory and empirical research. The fascinating and wide-ranging account of the status and functions of English in China today provided by Lo Bianco, Orton and Gao in China and English is essential reading for everyone interested in English in the Chinese context and in the wide range of educational and intercultural issues associated with the continuing story of English in China.

-- Kingsley Bolton, City University, Hong Kong * English Today *

While much attention is paid in certain circles to the rising power of China, little is known about the critical impact on both the Chinese people and the rest of the world of the country’s language policy, in particular China’s domestication of English and its increasing efforts to spread its language and culture worldwide. What dynamics has it brought about? How are identities negotiated with the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language at the collective/national and individual levels? And how do such identities affect China’s interaction with the rest of the world? This book is therefore a timely contribution to addressing these important questions.

-- Huhua Ouyang, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China * Lang Policy (2012) 11:209–211 *

This edited volume is a significant contribution to linguistic, educational, and social studies of English in China, and it is also a valubale addition to the existing literature of studies on language and cultural identity. It is an insightful volume that takes on many of the current issues that are of great interest to a wide range of readership from English language teachers and learners to researchers and scholars focusing on culture and identity as well as Chinese studies both within China and worldwide.

-- Zhichang Xu, Monash University, Australia * English World-Wide 34:2, 20