On the Folk Song as the Symbol of Ethnic Identity

This paper investigates and explores how the folk song operates in the Bai society from the theoretical perspective of pragmatics.In order to explore the deep relationship between a kind of langue use and the symbol of ethnicity among ethnic group members, this empirical study is carried out in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province where the majority of the Bai concentrate.According to this field survey, it is found that the content and performance of the Bai folk song can serve as a form of social behavior as well as a symbol of ethnic identity.