‘Fuzzy’ Chinese: The status of Cantonese in Hong Kong (original) (raw)
Related papers
Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics vol. 4, no.2, 1999
This article presents a case study of the roles of Putonghua, English and Cantonese in a Hong Kong secondary school ideologically committed to the promotion of Putonghua, and relates this to the general problem of the relative position of the different languages in Hong Kong. It examines the history of language policy in the school, in which the author himself once worked, and presents the results of a questionnaire survey of the practice and opinions of current members of staff. Efforts to promote a Putonghua-speaking atmosphere, like those to promote English, have to a large extent been frustrated by the strong attachment to Cantonese of an overwhelmingly Cantonese-speaking school community. The existing pattern of language use is similar to that in many Hong Kong educational institutions and workplaces and would be very difficult to change without the presence of a significant proportion of non-Cantonese speakers within the institution.
Ideologies of Language Standardization: The Case of Cantonese in Hong Kong (2018)
The Oxford Handbook of Language Policy and Planning, 2018
Virtually all Hong Kong Cantonese speakers know of 'lazy pronunciation,' which refers to colloquial pronunciation of Cantonese differ from prescribed dictionary pronunciation, and its speakers are essentialized as " lazy " and the culprit of " destroying Chinese culture ". These language ideologies about the aesthetics and cultural qualities of Cantonese are part of a process of differentiation associated with the renegotiation of local Hong Kong identity in the period of political change around the handover. The standardization of Cantonese is at the very centre of social, cultural, and political negotiation with regards to community boundaries and identities. The changes in Hong Kong's political sovereignty, from its position as a Chinese Qing dynasty-ruled rural island, to a British crown colony, and then to a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, make a unique and interesting study for language standardization processes and shifts in language ideologies.
Hong Kong ceased to be a colony of Britain on June 30 th , 1997, thus entering a new stage of its development and evolution as a uniquely-constituted city state and urban metropolis. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) inherited a linguistic ecology that owed much to its previous existence as a British colony, where the Chinese language had had no de jure status until 1974. From 1995, the stated policy of government has been to promote a "biliterate" (Chinese and English) and "trilingual" (Cantonese, Putonghua and English) society, and various measures have also been taken to promote the use of Chinese as a medium of instruction in schools. Immediately after the change in sovereignty, Putonghua became a compulsory school subject for the first time. This paper will examine the issue of language planning and policies partly from an historical perspective, but also through a consideration of current policies and practices across a range of domains, including government, law and education. One major conclusion that emerges from this discussion is that, from a language policy perspective, the relationship between Chinese and English in the Hong Kong context is potentially far less contentious than that between Cantonese and Putonghua.
Language policy and planning in Hong Kong: Colonial and post-colonial perspectives
Hong Kong ceased to be a colony of Britain on June 30th, 1997, thus entering a new stage of its development and evolution as a uniquely-constituted city state and urban metropolis. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) inherited a linguistic ecology that owed much to its previous existence as a British colony, where the Chinese language had had no de jure status until 1974. From 1995, the stated policy of government has been to promote a “biliterate” (Chinese and English) and “trilingual” (Cantonese, Putonghua and English) society, and various measures have also been taken to promote the use of Chinese as a medium of instruction in schools. Immediately after the change in sovereignty, Putonghua became a compulsory school subject for the first time. This paper will examine the issue of language planning and policies partly froman historical perspective, but also through a consideration of current policies and practices across a range of domains, including government, law and education. One major conclusion that emerges from this discussion is that, from a language policy perspective, the relationship between Chinese and English in the Hong Kong context is potentially far less contentious than that between Cantonese and Putonghua.
The Future of Cantonese: Current Trends
Hong Kong Journal of Applied Lingusitics, vol. 4, no.1, 1999
This article gives a brief account of the distinguishing characteristics of Cantonese and of the socio-finguistic circumstances in Hong Kong which have left it with a stronger role than that of regional dialects elsewhere in China. Possible changes in that role after reunification with China are discussed. The main factors influencing the dialect's own development are seen as contact with English and of Putonghua, as well as the internal dynamic of language change. It is suggested that the tendency to converge with Puronghua norms might be offset by the wish to preserve a distinctive Hong Kong linguistic identity. Questionnaire data are presented to illustrate the extent to which certain features of pronunciation are seen as typical of Hong Kong rather than mainland speakers.
2020
The official languages in Hong Kong today are Chinese and English. Whether 'Chinese' refers to Cantonese or Putonghua (also known as Mandarin) is unclear. Putonghua was officially introduced to the Hong Kong language milieu after the British ceded Hong Kong back to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1997. The implementation of Putonghua occurred largely through language policies in education making the language a compulsory subject, as well as through an increased political, cultural, and economic involvement from the PRC. Despite these involvements, the overall reception of Putonghua among Hong Kong Cantonese speakers has been rather unenthusiastic.
Two Sociological Perspectives on the New Language Policy in Hong Kong
2000
After Britain returned control of Hong Kong to China in July 1997, a new language policy required all schools to switch their teaching medium from English to Chinese in September 1998. Those schools that wanted to continue to teach in English had to obtain special permission. Only 100 of 400 schools successfully obtained such permission. This clash over the language of instruction sparked heated debate in Hong Kong. This paper looks at this new language policy from two major sociological perspectives: structural functionalism and conflict theory. First, from the structuralist-functionalist perspective, it is argued that mother-tongue education (using Chinese) should be promoted in all schools because it can improve students' academic performance and interest. Second, from the conflict theory perspective, it is argued that the decision to allow 100 schools to keep teaching in English would perpetuate social inequality in Hong Kong society. It is concluded, therefore, that all secondary education in Hong Kong should be conducted in Chinese. (Contains 18 references.) (KFT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.