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English and Putonghua varieties in Hong Kong: language attitudes and identity.
- Source :
-
Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development . Oct2024, p1-25. 25p. 7 Illustrations. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- With its growing global visibility and usage, Chinese has evolved into a regional and emerging global lingua franca, spoken by a significant population of L1/L2 speakers. This study expanded world Englishes/English as a lingua franca research to explore language attitudes and identity across diverse English and Chinese varieties. It compared educated stakeholders' (university students/professionals) (<italic>N</italic> = 1481) attitudes towards different L1/L2 varieties of English and Putonghua/Mandarin in Hong Kong, where both languages play an essential role under its ‘biliterate, trilingual' language policy. Findings derived from the verbal-guise technique suggest a hierarchy exists in the status of these language varieties, with L1 English at the top. A further evaluation of these varieties in the status/solidarity dimension indicates that Hongkongers' identity construction may involve proficient/L1-based English and a Putonghua variety, including Hong Kong Putonghua. Furthermore, the findings underscore the dynamic nature of language attitudes depending on contexts, pointing to a greater acceptance of L2 English and Putonghua/Mandarin varieties in less formal/more interactional L2-L2 communication. They also show a potential relationship between language attitudes and one's working experience/awareness. The paper argues that adopting a pluricentric framework to (re)conceptualise Chinese can provide valuable insights into its role in multilingual societies, identity construction, and Chinese language education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01434632
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 180194408
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2398184