Projects per year
Abstract
English has a global presence, but as the language becomes increasingly spoken worldwide, its diverse, complex, and multifaceted nature has not yet been fully understood. Under the paradigm of Global English, its innovative use is being acknowledged, particularly in regions where English is not the primary language. The multilingualitic nature of Hong Kong has led the traditionally coded forms and meanings of English to be transformed into a different and localized version that has its own distinct linguistic features and cultural significance. Investigations into these aspects are therefore required.
Based on online code-mixing translanguaging practices, a language database consisting of 53,680 words was constructed by extracting posts from local Hong Kong media that adapted local news stories in a creative linguistic manner. The innovative English used in Hong Kong includes a mix of alphabetic Cantonese, English, phonetic markers, and emojis. The linguistic data obtained from this self-created corpus were used as the basis for analysis, while the CLOB corpus, which is a Brown family British English corpus, was used as a reference. A keyword list with high frequency and keyness was identified using the software AntConc. Due to the influence of their first language, speakers of this local variety were found to insert Cantonese lexical items into grammatically acceptable English sentences. This innovative use of English can be categorized as Romanized Cantonese, in addition to unconventional or “invented” English.
By identifying these new trends in language evolution and variation and examining the distinct features of this localized version of English, this study contributes to the knowledge of this specific cultural environment. It encourages confident and flexible English use in the international community and reveals the fluidity of one’s language use.
Based on online code-mixing translanguaging practices, a language database consisting of 53,680 words was constructed by extracting posts from local Hong Kong media that adapted local news stories in a creative linguistic manner. The innovative English used in Hong Kong includes a mix of alphabetic Cantonese, English, phonetic markers, and emojis. The linguistic data obtained from this self-created corpus were used as the basis for analysis, while the CLOB corpus, which is a Brown family British English corpus, was used as a reference. A keyword list with high frequency and keyness was identified using the software AntConc. Due to the influence of their first language, speakers of this local variety were found to insert Cantonese lexical items into grammatically acceptable English sentences. This innovative use of English can be categorized as Romanized Cantonese, in addition to unconventional or “invented” English.
By identifying these new trends in language evolution and variation and examining the distinct features of this localized version of English, this study contributes to the knowledge of this specific cultural environment. It encourages confident and flexible English use in the international community and reveals the fluidity of one’s language use.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Presented - 25 Jun 2024 |
Event | Sociolinguistics Symposium 25: Ordinariness and innovation: Linguistic diversity and disparity - Curtin University, Perth, Australia Duration: 24 Jun 2024 → 27 Jun 2024 https://www.ss25.com.au/ |
Conference
Conference | Sociolinguistics Symposium 25 |
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Abbreviated title | SS25 |
Country/Territory | Australia |
City | Perth |
Period | 24/06/24 → 27/06/24 |
Internet address |
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Linguistic Characteristics of English in Hong Kong: A Corpus-Based Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Active
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DON_RMG: Public Policies Concerning Audio Description for Visually Impaired People in Hong Kong, Mainland China, The UK and USA - RMGS
YAN, X. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
1/04/23 → …
Project: Research
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GRF: A Bibliometric Investigation of Audio Description: The State of the Field
YAN, X. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
1/01/22 → …
Project: Research