China English is defined as a developing variety of international English spoken in China with some characteristic features at the level of phonology, grammar, lexis and pragmatics. The authors present the analysis of...China English is defined as a developing variety of international English spoken in China with some characteristic features at the level of phonology, grammar, lexis and pragmatics. The authors present the analysis of the use of the first-person plural pronoun we by Chinese senior English majors in spoken English as a way of illustrating how the pragmatic features of these students＇ choice of first-person pronoun manifest according to their social positions. Analysis finds that for these speakers we is used in ways that are consistent with wo-men, first person plural pronoun in Chinese, which is often used ambiguously for non-specific reference. Findings indicate that speakers lacking social power will use the pronoun to reproduce a mainstream or generic discourse. The authors conclude by arguing that Chinese university students＇ use of we can simultaneously be seen as an expression of their English language proficiency and as an adherence to Chinese cultural and pragmatic norms.展开更多
文摘China English is defined as a developing variety of international English spoken in China with some characteristic features at the level of phonology, grammar, lexis and pragmatics. The authors present the analysis of the use of the first-person plural pronoun we by Chinese senior English majors in spoken English as a way of illustrating how the pragmatic features of these students＇ choice of first-person pronoun manifest according to their social positions. Analysis finds that for these speakers we is used in ways that are consistent with wo-men, first person plural pronoun in Chinese, which is often used ambiguously for non-specific reference. Findings indicate that speakers lacking social power will use the pronoun to reproduce a mainstream or generic discourse. The authors conclude by arguing that Chinese university students＇ use of we can simultaneously be seen as an expression of their English language proficiency and as an adherence to Chinese cultural and pragmatic norms.
