Navigating change: Tibetan linguistic landscape in Xinduqiao amid economic and sociolinguistic transformation

This study explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of Tibetan language in Xinduqiao Town, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Although Tibetan is often regarded as a strong ethnic language in China, the sociolinguistic dynamics in Xinduqiao present a different narrative due to sustained Han-Tibetan contact and accelerated economic, demographic, and tourism-driven transformations. By adopting a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, the study collected 897 signs from the town’s main street and three micro-LL spaces – a new commercial complex, a traditional Tibetan teahouse, and a modern Tibetan-themed café – supplemented by interviews with local business owners. Quantitative analysis revealed limited Tibetan presence in public signage, exposing tensions between policy initiatives promoting Tibetan and market pressures favouring mainstream languages. However, qualitative findings from micro-LL spaces reveal strong grassroots vitality and authentic use of Tibetan, particularly among local Tibetan speakers. The study emphasises younger generations’ pivotal role in maintaining and expanding Tibetan’s reach, highlighting the need for sustained investment in cultural and language education. These findings offer empirical insight into how a minority language navigates rapid macro-level transformations in China’s evolving sociolinguistic landscape, contributing to broader discussions of language maintenance and revitalisation in multilingual contexts.