Ethnic minority language maintenance from a sociopolitical multilayered perspective: the mongolian case in Northeast China

Abstract

The promotion of Putonghua, as a national language policy in China, has been implemented by drawing on both historical and modern practices. How to preserve the cultural essence of ethnic minority languages alongside strategies to promote Putonghua is worthy of attention. Based on a multilayered framework approach encompassing macro, meso, and micro levels, this study investigated the current status and protection measures of the Mongolian languages in Qian Gorlos Mongolian Autonomous County (Qianguo County), Northeast China. Multiple data were collected by means of policy documents, linguistic landscaping, and semi-structured interviews with community members. Findings reveal positive collaborations among government, schools, families, and local residents for language preservation, with family language planning playing a crucial role at the meso level. Notably, differences in linguistic landscape standardization exist between autonomous counties and provincial-level autonomous regions. Future research should adopt multilayered frameworks to comprehensively investigate minority language use and preservation across regions.