Routledge Studies in World Englishes THE POLITICS OF ENGLISH IN HONG KONG ATTITUDES, IDENTITY, AND USE Jette G. Hansen Edwards The Politics of English in Hong Kong The focus of this book is on the impact of politics on language and identity in Hong Kong. The book is the first study to track real time language attitude changes against a divisive political landscape. It is also the most comprehensive study of language attitudes in Hong Kong to date, taking place over four years with over 1600 participants. Through both survey and interview data, a multi- faceted portrait of language change in progress is presented, providing a more nuanced and complex view of language and identity than has previously been presented. The book examines the status of Hong Kong English in the light of attitudes towards Cantonese, English, and Putonghua, providing a deeper analy- sis of the linguistic complexity of Hong Kong; it can be argued that one cannot understand attitudes towards Hong Kong English without fully understanding the status and use of English in Hong Kong today. The book also presents a complex examination of language attitudes in Hong Kong by focusing not only on the what of language attitudes, but also the question of for whom, through an analysis of language attitudes by gender, age, identity, and speaking HKE. Jette G. Hansen Edwards is Professor and Head of the Department of English at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Routledge Studies in World Englishes Series Editor: Ee Ling Low, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and President of Singapore Association of Applied Linguistics This Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics book series will provide a starting point for those who wish to know more about the aspects of the spread of English in the current globalized world. Each volume can cover the following aspects of the study of World Englishes: issues and theoretical paradigms, feature- based studies (i.e. phonetics and phonology, syntax, lexis), and language in use (e.g. education, media, the law, and other related disciplines). Negotiating Englishes and English-speaking Identities A Study of Youth Learning English in Italy Jacqueline Aiello World Englishes Rethinking Paradigms Edited by Ee Ling Low and Anne Pakir EIL Education for the Expanding Circle A Japanese Model Nobuyuki Hino Professional Development of English Language Teachers in Asia Lessons from Japan and Vietnam Edited by Kayoko Hashimoto and Van-Trao Nguyen The Politics of English in Hong Kong Attitudes, Identity, and Use Jette G. Hansen Edwards For a full list of titles in this series, visit www.routledge.com/Routledge-Studies- in-World-Englishes/book-series/RSWE The Politics of English in Hong Kong Attitudes, Identity, and Use Jette G. Hansen Edwards SINGAPORE ASSOCIATION FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS First published 2019 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2019 Jette G. Hansen Edwards The right of Jette G. Hansen Edwards to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-1-138-03644-4 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-17854-7 (ebk) Typeset in Galliard by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK This book is dedicated to my husband, Scott, and my children, Marie and Jasper. Contents List of figures viii List of maps xi List of tables xii Acknowledgements xiv List of abbreviations xv 1 Introduction: A political and linguistic history of Hong Kong 1 2 Researching attitudes: Theories and methods 18 3 The Hong Kong identity 60 4 The native speaker of English in Hong Kong 90 5 Attitudes towards varieties of English in Hong Kong 115 6 Hong Kong English: Attitudes, identity, and use 140 7 Attitudes towards features of Hong Kong English 179 8 Conclusions: The politics of Hong Kong English 203 References 220 Index 229 Figures 2.1 Timeline of data collection 52 3.1 Categorical ethnic identity 62 3.2 Ethnic identity – Hong Konger 64 3.3 Ethnic identity – Chinese 65 3.4 The Hong Kong identity across time 67 3.5 Cultural identification by age across time 68 3.6 Cultural identification by gender across time 69 3.7 Hong Konger identification by gender and age across time 70 3.8 Hong Kong Chinese identification by gender and age across time 71 3.9 Cultural identification by school status in 2017 73 3.10 Cultural identification by nationality and school status in 2017 74 3.11 Cultural identification by age and nationality 75 3.12 Cultural identification by gender, school status, and nationality 76 3.13 HKSAR and PRC passports 77 3.14 HKSAR passport 78 3.15 Hong Kong Smart Identity Card 79 4.1 Native language identification by year 93 4.2 Native language identification by respective language and year 94 4.3 Monolingual vs. multilingual native language identification 95 4.4 Cultural identification and native language identification by year 97 4.5 Native language identification by cultural identification and year 99 4.6 Monolingual vs. multilingual native language identification by identity 100 4.7 Native language identification by gender and time 101 4.8 Native language identification by respective language and gender 102 4.9 Monolingual vs. multilingual native language identification by gender 103 4.10 Monolingual vs. multilingual native language identification by school status and nationality 108 5.1 Preferred variety of English by year 118 5.2 Preferred variety of English by gender and year 119 5.3 Speaking HKE and preference for varieties of English 120 Figures ix 5.4 Preferences by school status and nationality 121 5.5 Variety of English spoken by year 124 5.6 Variety of English spoken by gender and year 126 5.7 Variety of English spoken by +/- speaking HKE 126 5.8 Variety of English spoken by school status and nationality 127 5.9 Monolectal vs. mixed lectal varieties of English spoken 131 5.10 Monolectalism vs. mixed lectalism 132 5.11 Monolectalism and mixed lectalism by gender 132 5.12 Monolectalism and mixed lectalism by school status and nationality 133 5.13 Native language identifications and varieties of English 136 6.1 Legitimacy of HKE by year 142 6.2 Legitimacy of HKE by cultural identification and year 143 6.3 Legitimacy of HKE by gender and year 144 6.4 Legitimacy of HKE – Men 146 6.5 Legitimacy of HKE – Women 147 6.6 Yes, HKE is ‘real’ by +/- speaking HKE 147 6.7 No, HKE is not ‘real’ by +/- speaking HKE 148 6.8 Legitimacy of HKE by school status and nationality 149 6.9 Reasons why HKE is a ‘real’ variety of English 149 6.10 Reasons why HKE is not a ‘real’ variety of English 150 6.11 Speaking HKE by year 152 6.12 Speaking HKE by cultural identification and year 153 6.13 Speaking HKE by gender and year 154 6.14 Speaking HKE – Men 155 6.15 Speaking HKE – Women 156 6.16 Speaking HKE by school status and nationality 157 6.17 Reasons for speaking HKE 157 6.18 Reasons for not speaking HKE 158 6.19 Want to speak HKE by year 159 6.20 Want to speak HKE by identity and year 160 6.21 Want to speak HKE by gender and year 161 6.22 Want to speak HKE – Men 162 6.23 Want to speak HKE – Women 163 6.24 Want to speak HKE by +/- speaking HKE 164 6.25 Don’t want to speak HKE by +/- speaking HKE 164 6.26 Want to speak HKE by school status and nationality 165 6.27 Reasons why participants want to speak HKE 166 6.28 Reasons why participants do not want to speak HKE 166 7.1 Attitudes towards features of HKE by year 183 7.2 Attitudes towards features of HKE by gender and year 184 7.3 Attitudes towards features of HKE by school status and nationality 185