From symbolic recognition to symbolic institutionalization: multi-level dynamics in Chinese sign language policy

While sign languages have gained increasing legal and social recognition worldwide, the gap between symbolic recognition and systemic commitment remains unresolved. Drawing on 543 policy documents from Mainland China (1978–2024) and a supplementary corpus from Zhejiang Province (updated to 2025), this study adopts a Macro–Meso–Micro Interactive Framework to examine how central, provincial, and local governments co-construct Chinese Sign Language (CSL) policy. A corpus-assisted discourse analysis reveals three interrelated dynamics: (1) at the macro level, CSL policy is framed through accessibility, standardization, and a broader discourse of harmony; (2) at the meso level, provincial governments mediate and recontextualize central directives into regionally practices; and (3) at the micro level, the Zhejiang case illustrates how symbolic recognition is translated into administrative procedures, technological infrastructures, and everyday implementation. The findings indicate a stratified pattern: macro-level policy remains predominantly symbolic, whereas meso- and micro-level practices display partial or emerging systemic commitment. Rather than treating symbolic recognition and systemic commitment as mutually exclusive, the study argues that symbolic recognition may become embedded in administrative routines, service infrastructures, and localized practices under hierarchical governance. We describe this pathway as symbolic institutionalization, through which sign language policy acquires institutional force.