A sociological analysis of Tibetan language policy issues in China

Abstract

This paper presents a sociological analysis of Tibetan language policy issues in China during the 1951-2020 period from a sociological perspective, while also attempting to portray the complex situations in which the same language is used in communication and interactions within sub-marginally demarcated societies where the same macrosocial structure is shared by traditions but the microsocial structure has been fragmented by the embedded social system, posing the risk of social structural collapse through social change stemming from language problems. In this analysis, Cooper's model is applied to the Tibetan context of language status planning and social change while examining the process of how China's language policy is to replace the Tibetan language, resulting in forms of social change. The results of this examination emphasise the need for multifarious reconciliation, not a single language policy issue, in sustaining the future identity of Tibetan populations (See Table 1).