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 |
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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