Placing the Uyghur Language at the Core of Uyghur Identity – the Role of Language Ideology in Language Maintenance

The genocidal policies of the Chinese Communist Party in the Uyghur homeland (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) have placed many Uyghurs in the diaspora in a position where they perceive an existential threat to their language and culture. This situation presumably shapes and influences their language attitudes and ideologies. Using a survey questionnaire targeting language attitudes and a series of semistructured interviews focusing on language ideologies, this presentation examines the Uyghur diaspora community in the US to understand their language maintenance efforts. The talk also aims to foster a much-needed dialogue between the literature on language attitudes and ideologies within the field of language maintenance. While these concepts provide unique perspectives on language shift and maintenance, they are rarely integrated. The findings suggest that combining these approaches can deepen our understanding of language maintenance practices.

The speaker is Mirshad Ghalip, a PhD holder from the Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, and…