New Words for New Times: Linguistic Modernization of Ethnic Minority Languages in the Chinese Northeast, 1949–2000

Language is an important vehicle for expressing communal and individual identity, and generally changes to fit different political, social, and cultural circumstances. This study examines the modernization of ethnic minority languages in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from the Communist revolution to the turn of the twenty-first century. In particular, it focuses the reforms of Dagur and Orochen, languages of two ethnic minority groups in Northeastern China. The primary objective of this paper is to examine how pedagogical texts, lexicons, and official minority language policy evolved in the mid-to-late twentieth century to include vocabulary associated with “modern conveniences” and “modern concepts” (including Marxist-Communist terminology).   Unlike Tibetans, Mongols, and Koreans, Dagur and Orochen are not large ethnic groups with substantial literary traditions or media in their own languages. Therefore, this study will look at the an unexamined aspect of minority and language policy in the PRC era: why were these particular minority languages changed rather than “preserved,” as was more commonly the case? To answer this question, I will consider why modernization of Dagur and Orochen was deemed necessary after 1949, and how such reforms were introduced. I also provide a different perspective on policies governing ethnic minorities than the assumed acculturation into the majority society through linguistic assimilation. Finally, this paper will compare the administration of minority languages and cultures in the PRC period to the Qing and Republican Chinese governments, the Russian Tsarist Empire, and the Japanese Imperial administration, all of which came into contact with these groups.