Article In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics: Online-First ArticlesBeyond borders or building new walls?
The potential for generative AI in recolonising the learning of Vietnamese dialects and Mandarin varieties
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has been offering unprecedented opportunities for language education.
However, its capacity to embrace linguistic diversity, particularly for learners of dialect-rich languages like Vietnamese and
Mandarin, remains underexamined. Without careful consideration, GenAI risks reinforcing language hegemonies, thereby contributing
to the recolonization of language learning landscapes by marginalizing minority dialects in favour of preferred standards.
Adopting sociolinguistics interview, this study explores GenAI’s (namely ChatGPT’s) ability to recognize and generate
dialect-specific content in discussing several pre-determined questions in both Vietnamese dialects (i.e., Northern, Southern, and
Central) and Mandarin varieties (i.e., Mainland Standard Mandarin, Taiwanese Mandarin, and Singaporean Mandarin). A multi-stage
role prompt, focusing on the topic of food, was used for both Vietnamese dialects and Mandarin varieties to generate responses.
Our study reveals major inconsistencies in the representation of Vietnamese dialects and Chinese varieties within AI-generated
output, raising critical questions about generative AI’s role in perpetuating linguistic hierarchies. We conclude by emphasizing
the need for tailored language learning approaches that leverage generative AI’s capabilities to not only accommodate but also
celebrate the rich tapestry of global dialects and languages, ensuring equitable access to language education for all
learners.
Keywords: generative AI, ChatGPT, language hegemony, vietnamese dialects, mandarin varieties, sociolinguistic interviews
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The capacity of GenAI in for language learning
- 3.AI and language hegemonies on minority dialects
- 4.Methodology
- 4.1Vietnamese dialects and mandarin varieties
- 4.1.1Vietnamese dialects
- 4.1.2Mandarin varieties
- 4.2Sociolinguistic interviews with AI
- Step 1.Establishing dialogue context in opening prompt
- Step 2.Presenting structured open-ended questions as prompts
- 4.3Data analysis
- 4.1Vietnamese dialects and mandarin varieties
- 5.Results
- 5.1Northern, central and southern vietnamese dialects
- 5.2Mandarin varieties
- 6.Discussion
- 7.Conclusion
-
References
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