Can ethnic minority languages co-exist with Mandarin in China?

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of China's language policies on ethnic minority languages and communities.

While Mandarin has long been China's official language, recent policies have accelerated its dominance — often at the expense of minority languages. Despite constitutional protections, a 2020 legislative shift has cast a shadow over the future of minority language education, raising concerns among ethnic minority groups like the Zhuang in southern China and communities in Tibet. Why is China doubling down on Mandarin’s dominance despite its already firm hold? What impact do these language policies have on ethnic minority communities? And what steps are needed to preserve China’s rich linguistic diversity? Researchers of linguistic diversity Dr Lajiadou from Asia Institute and Dr Alexandra Grey from University of Technology Sydney join host Sami Shah to examine the impact of China’s language policies on the future of ethnic minority languages and the communities that speak them. An Asia Institute podcast . Produced and edited by profactual.com . Music by audionautix.com .

People in this episode

Host: Sami Shah

Guests: Dr Lajiadou, Dr Alexandra Grey

Topics covered

• ethnic minority languages
• Mandarin
• language policies
• linguistic diversity
• China

Keywords

• Zhuang
• Tibet
• language education
• constitutional protections

Mentioned in this episode

Places: China, Tibet

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