Abstract:
The language used by an ethnic group is a sign of their unity and identity. Individuals within an ethnic group are closely linked by their language, thus cultural belonging and ethnic identity are formed. As an important factor of self identity for ethnic members, language is one of the foundations to sustain an ethnic group’s identity. As a complicated phenomenon of social psychology, language attitude exerts a great influence on an ethnic group’s language identity and ethnic identity. An investigation of Xinjiang Uyghur Unitersities students’ language attitudes shows that these students prefer their mother tongue to the national lingua franca. It also shows that the factors which influence their mother tongue attitudes are their parents’ attitudes towards the mother tongue and the national lingua franca. The factors which influence the national lingua franca are gender, political status, parents’ attitudes towards the national lingua franca and their understandings of the Chinese language. The investigation shows that Xinjiang Uyghur college students’ attitudes towards their ethnic identity are more positive than their Chinese national identity. In order to improve the Chinese national identity of Xinjiang Uyghur college students, the paper suggests that the bilingual education policy should be promoted firmly in Xinjiang; the education of Uyghur female children should be valued; the education of Uyghur college students as party members should be taken account of and the status of the Chinese language as the national lingua franca should be strengthened. It is hoped that these suggestions could help to construct harmonious and mutually helpful ethnic relations in Xinjiang.
