Hong Kong English

For more background on this topic, see Languages of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong English
Traditional Chinese 香港英文
Simplified Chinese 港式英文

Hong Kong English (traditional Chinese: 港式英語, 港式英文, 香港英語, 香港英文) may refer to two different concepts. The first is the variation or dialect of the English language used in Hong Kong. The second concept is the accent and elements as a result of its use by Cantonese speakers. For the first meaning, Hong Kong predominantly uses British spellings. Pronunciations and words are also predominantly British, although influences from American, Canadian and Australian English do exist as a result of large numbers of returnees. But there are also words not from the British Isles, such as 'chop', 'shroff', 'nullah' and 'godown'. These vocabularies are usually of Indian or Malay origins, following expansion of the British Empire in the 19th century. The second meaning, which is also called Cantonese English, in theory, refers to the accent and characteristics of English spoken by native Hong Kongers and other Cantonese speakers. Overall, it is primarily spoken by native Cantonese speakers. Therefore, although it is called as Hong Kong English, it is not only spoken in Hong Kong. People, such as people who come from Macau, Canton (now commonly known as Guangzhou) or those whose first language is Cantonese, speak it. It is often considered, especially by the locals, as the Hong Kong variant of Chinglish. Since many of the 'characteristics' in Hong Kong English are perceived as erroneous, the term is often used by locals as a disparagement rather than to describe a linguistic identity. The majority of Hong Kongers and Macau people with English proficiency tend to follow British English, American English or a mixture of the two.

Background

English is one of the official languages in Hong Kong, and is used widely in the Government, academic circles, business and the courts. All road and government signs are bilingual and English is as equally valid as Chinese on legal and business standings.

People with higher education, past experience of living in English-speaking countries, or who constantly interact with Hong Kong's English-speaking expatriate communities, generally speak an acquired form of English. Accent and spelling preference may vary from person to person, depending on the people they have interacted with and the country they have studied in. For most ordinary local Hong Kongers however, the English spoken is generally typical of foreign language learners: Cantonese-influenced pronunciation with some acquired Received Pronunciation characteristics, and with vocabularies and sentence structure generally more formal than those of native speakers. For instance, contractions and slang are not used, and many idioms are alien to Hongkongers as they do not pertain to English-speaking countries' cultures. The falling English proficiency of local English teachers has come under criticism.[1]

English in Hong Kong remains primarily a second language, in contrast to Singapore where English has been shifting toward being a first language.

Spoken characteristics

Voicing of consonants

Th

Devoicing of final consonants

Sh

Tr

R

Wh

V

N

J/G

/ə/

/ər/

/ɜr/

/æ/

/ɪ/

/ʊ/

Z

Intonation

Lack of double consonantal endings

Lack of structure of diphthong+consonant

Others

Grammar

Numbers

American/British spelling and word usage

This is the entrance of the shopping centre "New World Centre" in Hong Kong. Note the spelling of the word "Centre" (instead of the American English "Center") and also that it does not say "Mall", as in the US.

Variations

Hong Kong vocabulary/expressions

Nullah Road, Mong Kok

Some words and phrases widely understood in Hong Kong are rare or unheard of elsewhere. These often derive from Chinese, Anglo-Indian or Portuguese/Macanese.

Recent academic work is also being done on the generation of new Hong Kong English vocabulary driven by computer mediated communication between bilingual Cantonese and English speakers. Rather than use complicated Chinese character keyboard interfaces, Hong Kong English speakers will text and email English translations to the prevalence that the English word often gains independent usage. [12]

Common mistakes made by the Cantonese-speaking community

See also

Linguistics
Hong Kong

References

  1. Glenwright, Phil (July 1, 2005). "Grammar Error Strike Hard: Language Proficiency Testing of Hong Kong Teachers and the Four "Noes"". Journal of Language Identity and Education 4: 201–226. ISSN 1534-8458. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  2. Setter, J., Wong., C. S. P., & Chan, B. H. S. (2010). Hong Kong English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  3. Deterding, D., Wong J., & Kirkpatrick, A. (2008). The pronunciation of Hong Kong English. English World-Wide, 29, 148–149.
  4. Hong, T. N. (2002). Towards a phonology of Hong Kong English. In K. Bolton (Ed.), Hong Kong English: Autonomy and creativity (pp. 119–140). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
  5. Setter, J., Wong., C. S. P., & Chan, B. H. S. (2010). Hong Kong English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  6. Deterding, D., Wong J., & Kirkpatrick, A. (2008). The pronunciation of Hong Kong English. English World-Wide, 29, 148–149.
  7. Hong, T. N. (2002). Towards a phonology of Hong Kong English. In K. Bolton (Ed.), Hong Kong English: Autonomy and creativity (pp. 119–140). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
  8. Cassell giant paperback dictionary, 1994
  9. http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Failed+in+London%2c+Try+Hong+Kong
  10. Lam, Lana; Lee, Danny. "Playwright pens tale of Hong Kong and its expat 'filth'". South China Morning Post Website. SCMP. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  11. Get Jetso著數網- 全港最受歡迎的著數優惠分享平台 (in Chinese) http://www.getjetso.com/. Retrieved 5 August 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1825528/add-oil-evolution-hong-kong-english-and-where-our-unique?page=all

EL / Further reading

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