Saturday, October 4, 2008

Sinicization

Sinicization, Sinicisation or Sinification, is the or cultural assimilation of terms and concepts into the and of China. In linguistics, the term is used narrowly to refer to transliteration, and in this regard "Sinicization" is parallel to Romanization.

In more general contexts, Sinicization refers to the process of "becoming Chinese" or "not Chinese" . The term has been used in social science primarily to describe the of non-Han Chinese peoples into the Chinese identity. It is simply a term for Chinese assimilation.

Taiwan and China


In the politics of Taiwan, both terms are used to refer to an increase or decrease in cultural and economic ties with China. Both terms have been used more commonly after 2001. Since the 1990s, there has been general consensus in Taiwan in favor of the , though there is some debate about what that is. There is also general consensus that the Taiwanization is favourable. That is, emphasizing Taiwanese culture and .

Also, the argument in Taiwan between supporters of Chinese unification/annexation by China) and supporters of Taiwan Name Rectification Campaign is considered a matter of sinicization. Supporters of name rectification are generally wary of increasing cultural and economic links with China. They feel it is part of a strategy by the People's Republic of China to "sinicize" Taiwan, thus making reunification inevitable.

A modern meaning is the process by which other peoples like the Koreans, Japanese, and the Vietnamese are strongly influenced by Chinese culture and working practices.

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