Fuzhou Chinese Speech Group and Associations: Online Debates over the Landmarks of Manhattan Chinatown after 9/11.

Abstract After the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001, both the Cantonese and Fujianese immigrants in New York City's Manhattan Chinatown felt the need for the reconstruction of their communities. Fuzhou migrants put up their hometown website, Fujianese.com, when the City Government provided a relief fund and initiated certain projects for the rebirth of Chinatown. Discussions relating to the shaping of the webscape and landscape can be gleaned from their online debates over the cultural landmarks of Manhattan Chinatown built with the 9/11 funding. In analyzing Fujianese.com, we find a sub-ethnic awareness emerging from among the Fuzhou migrants concerned about their community participation in the host society. This website has nurtured a sub-ethnic sentiment and strengthened the identity of its members. The online discourses are important sources of information for studying the issue of dialect grouping and territorial association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]