Understanding China’s LOTE learners’ perceptions and choices of LOTE(s) and English learning: a linguistic market perspective

ABSTRACT This study examines how China’s LOTE (languages other than English) students perceive English and their target languages as different types of linguistic capital with different values, and how they exercise their agency as micro level LPP (language planning and policy) actors in language learning. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with 35 university students (including Hindi, Persian and Thai learners) and analysed through the lens of individual agency in language planning and policy, as well as the Bourdieusian constructs of linguistic capital and the linguistic market. The findings reveal that English is regarded as a requisite, while LOTE(s) is/are perceived as a plus by LOTE learners. It was also found that English learning seems to be a default choice among LOTE learners, while LOTE learning is more often an extra choice in their language learning investment. Such findings have a counter-intuitive implication, namely that without recognizing the role of LOTE learners as micro LPP agents and the gap between the individual needs of career development and the macro and meso level demands for high-level multilingual personnel, LOTE education planning and policy may contribute to the English domination over LOTE(s) rather than enhancing (supra-)national linguistic capacity and multilingual and multicultural diversity.