Unpacking cultural conceptualizations in Chinese English

Abstract

Abstract Considerable depth and breadth of research on Chinese English has been undertaken over the last three to four decades, contributing to the epistemological advancement of a number of academic disciplines, including world Englishes, Intercultural Communication, and Cultural Linguistics. Researching Chinese English involves engaging in ongoing theoretical developments in relevant disciplines that primarily focus on language and cultural studies, and the globalization and nativization of English in China. In this paper, we explore a Cultural Linguistics approach to researching Chinese English, and use cultural conceptualizations, including cultural schema, cultural category, and cultural metaphor, as the analytical framework with which to analyze a range of empirical linguistic data, including interviews, newspaper articles, textbooks, literary works by authors writing in Chinese English, and online media articles about China. We also draw out implications from researching Chinese cultural conceptualizations for intercultural communication involving Chinese speakers of English.