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Hong Kong

Hong Kong English still holds a disputed position within the World Englishes community. The Southeast Asian metropolis shares the colonial past with other countries where English is spoken as a second language, Hong Kong, however, was the only territory which did not achieve independence at the end of colonial rule but was passed on to be administered by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  After 155 years under the British Crown, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (HKSAR) on 30 June 1997.

The historic presence of English in Hong Kong explains the role it still plays in the territory nowadays. During British colonialism from 1842 to 1997, English was the official language of government and law, as well as the most widely-used medium of secondary and university education, a fact that has contributed greatly to the prestige of the language in Hong Kong. Anglo-Chinese schools (English-medium schools) have been very popular among Hong Kongers until today. Nonetheless, the British had always fostered the teaching of Chinese, thus paving the way for the handover to the Chinese government.

Some examples of Hong Kong English vocabulary are: ABC (Australian-born Chinese), bak choi (Chinese green and white cabbage), almond cream(a sweet dessert), or big brother (a Chinese kinship term referring to the eldest male sibling in a family).
The Hong Kong English accent is also gaining prestige among its speakers, and a particular characteristic of English-speaking Hong Kongers is their ability to code-switch and code-mix English and Cantonese at their ease. This practice is very popular among university students, who mainly use it in their ICQ or e-mail communication.

© Eva Zumhasch