China's Assimilationist Language Policy

3    The development of minorityeducation and the practice ofbilingual education in XinjiangUyghur Autonomous Region

Rong Ma

Introduction

Under the overarching principle of representing a unified nation-state, the political, economic, and cultural integration of diverse ethnic minority groups is a constant core concern of any multi-ethnic country. When each ethnic group has its own particular language and cultural traditions, the use and the future trend of their languages surely become sensitive societal issues. Countries in the contemporary world have been, to varying degrees, involved in the trend of globalization; therefore, the function of language as both a cultural carrier and a tool for education and communication takes on an important ...