Though there are few studies about the influence of Chinese dialect film on language attitudes due to a relatively short history of dialect film in China, we can still sense its influence by referring to related studies on the interplay between media and language attitudes in other countries.
Media are a major force which sustain the hegemonic “standard language ideology”, by supporting the superiority of the standard variety of language and considering linguistic diversity to be a threat (Milroy,2001; Silverstein, 1996). Goebel’s (2011) study has suggested that attention should be paid to the talk of television viewers and other mediated representation, which could provide insights into language attitudes and ideologies. Lippi-Green’s study (1997) on Disney animated films has analyzed and shown the associations between specific cartoon character types and particular speech styles and accents. She also concluded that cartoons constitute a powerful tool for shaping children’s language attitude, which contains linguistic prejudice and social discriminations to certain speech group.
Since contemporary life is surrounding by media texts, it is possible that people shape their ideas about sociolinguistic diversity, based merely, or mostly, on what they receive from those media texts. Moreover, along with social factors (e.g. language attitudes, language contact), media are believed to be a contributing factor in affecting actual language behavior (Stuart-Smith, 2006). In this case, if audience perceive and accept the idea of discrimination or judgement on a speech group from media texts, it is possible that they would turn the idea into actual behavior in real life. In terms of dialect films, by glorifying the prestigious linguistic code (e.g. Putonghua) and undermining a socially low-class linguistic code (e.g. rural dialects), dialect films tend to occupy the media market for maintaining and reproducing the dominant language ideology in China.
Kids surrounding by media texts
The implications of the discussion above for the role of dialect films in shaping of audience’s language attitudes are significant, especially for the language education for young generation, since they are the audience who are usually exposed to media works.
On the one hand, dialect films can be an alternative tool for children’s study of sociolinguistic diversity, such as diverse geographical dialects. One the other hand, given the fact that media texts usually display dominant language ideologies, the implementation of critical media education at school is needed, in order for children to develop critical language awareness.
For example, providing opposite examples from the dominant ideology in Chinese classroom, enables children to steer away from fixed text meanings of the dominant language ideology indexed in dialect films. Rural dialect speech is not always the marker of low-class speech group or local identity while standard language or accent is not the sign of decent or prestigious position. In this case, enhancing children’s language awareness enables them to adopt a more negotiated position and resist the hegemonic sense of sociolinguistic diversity.
Furthermore, since the supporting literature here is mostly from other countries, there will be limitations on implication in Chinese context. It is suggested that more studies should be carried out in China to investigate the influence of dialect films and other media texts on children’s language attitudes and ideologies. For example, to investigate children’s preference or evaluation of different speech styles in dialect films or other media works.
However, according to media reception theory, as Hall’s study (1973[1980]) indicates that the same media work may be read differently by different people, since audience are not passively accepting the meanings of the media works.
In contrast, audience can agree, partly agree, disagree or negotiate with the meanings from the media works. In other words, instead of being in a passive position, audience are able to positively react on the media works, and build up their own understandings. When watching dialect films, exposed to language attitude shown in the film, audience can still have their capacities to construct their own language attitude and understanding.
Passive or Active position?
"I Love You" in different Chinese dialects
Implications on EDucation
References:
Hall, S. (1973[1980]). Encoding and decoding in the television discourse. In Centre for Contemporary Cultural
Studies (Eds.), Culture, media, language: Working papers’ in cultural studies (pp. 128138). London:
Hutchinson.
Goebel, Z. (2011). Talking about mediated representations: Exploring ideologies and meanings. Text & Talk, 31(3),
293314.
Lippi-Green, R. (1997). English with an accent. London: Routledge.
Milroy, J. (2001). Language ideologies and the consequences of standardization. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 5,
530555.
Silverstein, M. (1996). Monoglot ‘Standard’ in America: Standardization and metaphors of linguistic hegemony. In
D. Brenneis & R. K. S. Macaulay (Eds.), The matrix of language: Contemporary linguistic anthropology (pp.
284306). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Stamou, A. G., Maroniti, K., & Griva, E. (2015). Young children talk about their popular cartoon and TV heroes'
speech styles: media reception and language attitudes. Language Awareness, 24(3), 216-232.
Stuart-Smith, J. (2006). From Cockney to Jockney? The role of television in accent change in Modern Urban Scots
[Working Paper]. Department of English Language, University of Glasgow.
Photo resource:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/video/sjxw/2016-11/21/c_129371785.htm