Challenges of Teaching Chinese as a Subject in an English-dominated Region: Focus on Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Sindh is a multilingual province in Pakistan where politics of language and clash of language ideologies have played a significant role. English is viewed as a language of power, and Urdu is generally considered as a symbol of national cohesion in Pakistan. In Sindh both these languages are used in official and educational domains In Sindh’s language ecology, English occupies an important position. In addition to these two languages, Sindhi is widely spoken and is associated with Sindh’s regional and ethnic consciousness. Pakistan's pivot to China policy is slowly impacting language policy and planning in Sindh. Politicians have started talking about making Chinese a compulsory subject from grade 6 onwards in Sindh’s educational institutions. However, this language policy decision has met resistance from the English-speaking class, and the Urdu, Seraiki, and Sindhi speech communities who look at the imposition of Chinese language with distrust. The aim of this research article is to investigate how language teachers and students in Sindh react to the Chinese language policy and planning.  A survey questionnaire was sent to participants to explore their perceptions of imposing the Chinese language in Sindh. 33 participants aged between 20 to 40 responded to 14 questions included in the survey. Extracts taken from their responses were codified into broader themes and qualitative analysis was carried out using Philipson’s (1992) imperialism concept. The findings showed that the pro-Chinese class is struggling to replace English in an ecology of language where speakers of minor languages are already resisting the hegemony of major languages. Key words:            Chinese; English; Languages; Sindhi; Urdu