Extrinsic or Instrinsic Benefits? Chinese Language policy.

I'm working off of this article today, so take a quick look.

Last class, we discussed David Grewal's answers on Network Power. I'd like to put his example that languages are learned because of extrinsic value to the test. Recently, China backpedaled on a piece of legislation that would mandate that Mandarin Chinese would be the official and sole language of instruction throughout all Chinese universities. The legislation was retracted due to a great outcry from Tibetan students.

The students' main concern was their self-proclaimed right to Freedom of Language. These protests are also coming on the heels of a Bilingual Education program that has been in effect in minority regions in China for years now. Chinese officials are clearly sensitive to public sentiment, and certainly do not want to risk widespread protests or civil disobedience, or else they would not have stated that they would not  enact the Sole Language program in areas where "conditions are not ripe."

Grewal asserts that standards, which are of course important for network efficiency, are chosen for their extrinsic values rather than their intrinsic values. His major example of this is language, specifically how English has become the international language of choice for business because of the strength of the US economy and the reach of US businesses. This sort of reasoning could be applied to a smaller scale. Chinese would be an excellent language to study in any of the countries around China, and it would certainly make practical sense to gain a good grasp of the Chinese language to gain practical contacts in the local business world. But the Tibetan students are resistant to the Sole Language program. Does this mean that they are opposed to entering into the Chinese business network? Of course not.

They are resistant because they do not want to lose their cultural heritage along with their cultural language. This is really an act based upon the intrinsic value of standards, rather than their extrinsic value. People do not always do things based on personal gain, especially when cultural heritage is in question. Grewal's argument, while valid in a great deal of cases, can not be a catch-all rule, as he likes to frame it.

Just for thought, the United States is dealing with this exact problem as well, although "English Only" legislation has not made a great deal of headway in Congress.