Standardization or Reclamation? Reinterpreting Heritage from Dialectology

This article contributes to the redefinition of heritage by foregrounding a form of “living heritage” shaped through everyday use rather than institutional preservation. Through a case study of dialectal swearing in Chongqing Dialect, the article explores how dialects are understood and valued as heritage under the pressures of national language standardization and globalization. Ethnographic data from interviews with meaning mapping, participant observation, and fieldwork reveal that while Chongqing Dialect exhibits strong linguistic resilience, community engagement—especially among younger generations—is increasingly passive. Rather than indicating rejection and loss, this trend reflects a normalized and taken-for-granted presence of local dialect in daily life. In addition, the evolving relationship younger speakers have with the dialect points to transformation and calls for inclusive, reclamation-based approaches to language revitalization. By framing dialect not only as a linguistic form but also as a negotiated practice, this study advances interdisciplinary understandings of heritage as lived and constantly remade.