Abstract
This chapter gives an overview of language diversity in Hong Kong and
Macao. Both places enjoy a high level of sociopolitical autonomy, including
the continued use of the former colonial languages—English and Portuguese,
respectively—as co-official languages alongside Chinese, which is understood to refer to spoken Cantonese and Mandarin-based Standard Written Chinese (SWC). The language policies in both places aim at achieving biliteracy and trilingualism: the ability to read and write Chinese and English, and to speak and understand Cantonese, English, and Mandarin. Unlike elsewhere in the sinophone world, Cantonese as a regional Sinitic variety continues to be used as the medium of instruction (MoI) from kindergarten to secondary-level schools. Language contact phenomena, such as lexical borrowing from English and code-switching, are commonplace. With cross-border visits to and from mainland China becoming more and more frequent, the use of Mandarin is increasingly frequent in both communities.
Macao. Both places enjoy a high level of sociopolitical autonomy, including
the continued use of the former colonial languages—English and Portuguese,
respectively—as co-official languages alongside Chinese, which is understood to refer to spoken Cantonese and Mandarin-based Standard Written Chinese (SWC). The language policies in both places aim at achieving biliteracy and trilingualism: the ability to read and write Chinese and English, and to speak and understand Cantonese, English, and Mandarin. Unlike elsewhere in the sinophone world, Cantonese as a regional Sinitic variety continues to be used as the medium of instruction (MoI) from kindergarten to secondary-level schools. Language contact phenomena, such as lexical borrowing from English and code-switching, are commonplace. With cross-border visits to and from mainland China becoming more and more frequent, the use of Mandarin is increasingly frequent in both communities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Language diversity in the Sinophone world |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Chapter | 7 |
| Pages | 142 |
| Number of pages | 163 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0-367-50451-9 |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Aug 2020 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics