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One language and two ideologies: a case study of Arabic language education in Ningxia, China in the context of the BRI
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DOI：10.1080/14664208.2025.2603504.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
In Spolsky [(2009). Language management. Cambridge University Press] tripartite framework of language ideology, management, and practice, the relationship between ideology and language is typically assumed to be one-to-one. Interpreting the tripartite relationship differently, this study challenges that assumption by examining Arabic learning and use in Ningxia, China, within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We identify two coexisting ideologies - the Hui community's heritage language ideology and the BRI-driven foreign language ideology - both privileging Arabic, and analyse their materialization in explicit and implicit language policies. Through case studies of three institutions - a public university, a community-based vocational school, and a private business - we demonstrate how these ideologies initially fostered Arabic learning and use but later generated negative impacts as their scopes and objectives diverged. This analysis reveals a two-to-one relationship between ideologies and language, highlighting the intricate interplay of multilingualism, ethnicity, and policy in the intersection of domestic and global affairs. Our findings underscore that the politics of multilingualism in language policy is shaped not only by language choice but also by ideological, ethnic, and geopolitical dynamics, reflecting tensions between Sinicization and internationalization in China's Hui community. These insights contribute to nuanced understandings of language policy dynamics and the sociolinguistics of Islam.
Keywords:
Arabic
Ningxia
the Hui (Muslim)
language ideology
language policy
the BRI
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1.8
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37
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