English in China: Creativity and Commodification

English-related linguistic creativity and language commodification are a constant topic of interest and analysis for scholars. This volume is intended to initiate a dialogue between these two domains of inquiry that have been abundantly addressed but rarely documented together or in relation to one another.

English as used in mainland China is presented as a case study where it remains rather unclear the extent to which the language is actually used in people’s lives, outside the domain of education. The volume enriches existing empirical studies by exploring the creative and innovative uses of English in people’s lives and its commodification at different language-centred economic spaces within China while also providing an update of our understanding of the sociolinguistic situation of English in China, a country undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation.

English in China is the first attempt to discuss the possible relationship, intersection, and tension between two seemingly inseparable research topics. The book is an important resource for students and scholars in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Bilingualism, Sociolinguistics, Translation, and Contemporary Chinese Studies.

Songqing Li works as Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China where he developed the MA in Applied Linguistics with specialization in Multilingualism, the first programme of its kind in China, for which he currently serves Programme Director. He is the author of Identity Construction in Bilingual Advertising: A Critical Analysis (Routledge, 2019) and co-author (with Junshuan Liu) of Native-Speakerism in English Language Teaching: The Current Situation in China (Cambridge Scholars, 2019). His research has appeared in journals including Applied Linguistics, International Journal of Multilingualism, Semiotica, World Englishes, Journal of World Languages, and English Today.