The English Language in Hong Kong: Diachronic and Synchronic Perspectives

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

This book presents an empirically-grounded sociolinguistic history of the English language in Hong Kong in the past 170 years. Using substantial sets of diachronic and synchronic data, it traces the changing status and functions of English in relation to spoken Cantonese, Mandarin and written Chinese in the key domains of government, education and business. The author tracks the rise of English-knowing bilingualism in the city’s Chinese community and explores the evolutionary dynamics of Hong Kong English. He also speculates on the future of English in the territory, particularly after 2047 when the ‘one country, two systems’ framework established by the Sino-British Joint Declaration is dismantled. Researchers and students working in the fields of sociolinguistics, English as a global language, world Englishes, applied linguistics and English-language education will find this book provides valuable information and insights about the uses and users of English in colonial and post-colonial Hong Kong. More generally, it makes a unique contribution to the literature on the diffusion and diversification of English worldwide.