Under the gaze of Cangjie: Chinese Language and writing in the City of Buenos Aires

Abstract

Despite the geographical and cultural distance between China and Argentina, cultural and economic exchanges between these two countries are increasingly frequent. In addition, in the last fifteen years immigration from this Asian country had increased considerably. In this article we will make an approach to the linguistic landscape of the CABA, considering specially the use of Chinese writing, in its two varieties (traditional and simplified) in the public space. We will focus on the linguistic landscape of the Chinatown of the CABA since it is in this public space where different agents can be observed: the Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants, the municipal State and the Chinese National State. The use of traditional or simplified writing within the Chinatown indicates not only two moments of immigration but also a political tension between those from the PRC and those who are originally from Taiwan. The GCBA, on the other hand, chooses the simplified writing to carry out the signage of the Neighborhood, taking a political position regarding what is the writing associated with the “Chinese”. Likewise, this intervention on public space uses writing not for an instrumental purpose but to construct a scenario in which “Chinese culture” is offered to the “tourist”.