HONG KONG ENGLISH AUTONOMY AN D CREATIVIT Y Edited by Kingsley Bolton # m *. < p £ m. *t HONG KON G UNIVERSIT Y PRES S Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centr e 7 Tin Wan Pray a Roa d Aberdeen Hong Kon g © Hong Kon g University Press 200 2 First published 200 2 Reprinted 2004 , 2005 ISBN 96 2 209 553 4 All right s reserved . N o portio n o f thi s publicatio n ma y b e reproduced o r transmitte d i n an y for m o r b y an y means , electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any informatio n storag e o r retrieva l system , withou t prio r permission i n writing from th e publisher . Chapters 1-12 , 1 5 and 1 6 were first published i n the journal, World Englishes, Vol. 19, No. 3. Reproduced her e b y permission o f Blackwell Publishers Ltd . British Librar y Cataloguing-in-Publication Dat a A catalogue recor d fo r thi s book i s available from th e British Library . Secure On-lin e Orderin g http://www.hkupress.org Printed and bound b y Caritas Printing Training Centre, Hong Kong, China . Contents List of Contributors vi i Introduction 1 Hong Kong English: Autonomy and creativit y Kingsley Bolton Part I: Languag e in Context 2 7 1 Th e sociolinguistic s o f Hong Kong and th e spac e for 2 9 Hong Kong Englis h Kingsley Bolton 2 Th e discours e and attitude s o f English language teacher s in 5 7 Hong Kon g Amy B. M. Tsui and David Bunton 3 Cantonese-Englis h code-switchin g research i n Hong Kong: 7 9 A survey of recent researc h David C. S. Li 4 Th e English-languag e medi a in Hong Kong 10 1 Chan Yuen-ying Part II: Languag e Form 11 7 5 Toward s a phonology o f Hong Kong English 11 9 Tony T N. Hung vi Content s 6 Relativ e clause s i n Hong Kon g Englis h 14 1 Nikolas Gisborne 7 Hon g Kon g words: Variation an d contex t 16 1 Phil Benson Part III: Dimension s o f Creativit y 17 1 8 Hon g Kon g writing and writin g Hong Kon g 17 3 Louise Ho 9 Definin g Hon g Kon g poetry in English : A n answe r 18 3 from linguistic s Agnes Lam 10 Writin g between Chines e an d Englis h 19 9 Leung Ping-kwan 11 Fro m Yinglish t o sado-masticatio n 20 7 Nury Vittachi 12 Writin g th e literatur e o f non-denial 21 9 XuXi Part IV: Resource s 23 9 13 Analysin g Hong Kon g English : Sampl e text s from 24 1 the Internationa l Corpu s o f Englis h Kingsley Bolton and Gerald Nelson 14 Cultura l imaginatio n an d Englis h i n Hong Kon g 26 5 Shirley Geok-lin Lim 15 Researchin g Hong Kon g English : Bibliographica l Source s 28 1 Kingsley Bolton Part V: Futur e Directions 29 3 16 Future s fo r Hon g Kon g Englis h 29 5 Kingsley Bolton and Shirley Geok-lin Lim Index List of Contributors Phil Benson i s an Assistant Professor i n the English Centre, the Universit y of Hong Kong . Kingsley Bolto n i s Professo r o f Linguistic s i n th e Departmen t o f English , Stockholm University , and Honorary Professor o f English at the University of Hong Kong . David Bunto n i s a n Associat e Professo r i n th e Facult y o f Education , th e University o f Hong Kong . Chan Yuen-ying is Professor and Director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre, the Universit y o f Hong Kong . Nikolas Gisborn e i s a Lecturer i n th e Englis h Languag e Department , th e University of Edinburgh . Louise H o wa s until recentl y a n Associat e Professo r i n th e Departmen t o f English, the Chines e Universit y o f Hong Kong . Tong T. N. Hung is an Associate Professor and Head o f the Language Centre , Hong Kong Baptist University . Agnes Lam i s an Associate Professo r i n the English Centre , the Universit y o f Hong Kong . Leung Ping-kwa n i s Chai r Professo r o f Comparativ e Literatur e i n th e Department o f Chinese, Lingnan University . David C . S . L i i s an Associat e Professo r i n th e Departmen t o f Englis h an d Communication, Cit y University of Hong Kong . viii Lis t o f Contributor s Shirley Geok-lin Lim i s Honorary Professor o f English at the University of Hong Kong, and Professo r o f English a t the Universit y of California, Sant a Barbara . Gerald Nelso n i s a Lecture r i n th e Departmen t o f Englis h Languag e an d Literature, Universit y Colleg e London . Amy B . M . Tsu i i s Chai r Professo r an d Directo r o f th e Teacher s o f Englis h Language Educatio n Centr e (TELEC ) i n th e Facult y o f Education , th e University o f Hong Kong . Nury Vittach i i s a Hong Kong-base d writer , an d als o a columnis t fo r th e Far Eastern Economic Review. Xu X i i s a writer base d i n both Hon g Kon g and Ne w York. I Introduction —J Hong Kong English: Autonomy and creativity Kingsley Bolto n Background Hong Kon g i s a n extraordinar y societ y tha t ha s experience d a serie s o f dramatic changes over the last fifty years in almost all aspects of its economic, social an d politica l life. 1 Immediatel y afte r th e Secon d Worl d War , th e population o f Hon g Kon g explode d a s a resul t o f continuou s wave s o f immigration fro m Guangdon g provinc e an d othe r part s o f China , wit h it s population almos t quadrupling from 194 5 to 1951. Since then, its population has continued t o increase at an average rate of one million people per decade, to 3.1 million in 1961 , 4.1 million in 1971 , 5.6 million i n 199 1 and t o aroun d 6.7 million i n th e year 2001 . In th e lat e 1940s , the transfe r o f Shanghaines e industrial expertis e an d capita l helpe d se t up th e labour-intensiv e low-cos t industries, suc h a s textiles , garment s an d plastics , tha t becam e th e majo r employers in the period up to the mid-1970s. These Shanghai emigres brought with the m a cosmopolitanis m an d cultura l capita l tha t foun d expressio n i n the fil m industry , music , food an d entertainmen t i n 1950 s Hong Kong . Th e Shanghainese wer e soo n outnumbere d b y hug e number s o f refuge e immigrants from souther n China , many of whom came from smal l towns and pre-modern agricultural communities in the Pearl River Delta and Guangdon g province. Thes e immigrant s provide d th e labou r forc e fo r th e low-cos t industries o f th e 1950 s an d 1960s , an d wer e initiall y house d i n extrem e conditions o f discomfort an d overcrowding . After th e riots an d socia l disturbance s o f 196 6 an d 1967 , Hong Kon g underwent anothe r perio d o f rapi d change . I n th e 1970s , MacLehose' s reformist administration began to provide a greatly expanded range of social services, including public housing, health care, public transport and education . The equivalen t o f the Britis h 187 0 Education Ac t (providin g for elementar y education fo r all ) too k effec t i n Hon g Kon g i n 1974 , and th e equivalen t o f the Britis h 194 4 Educatio n Ac t (providin g secondar y education ) wen t int o effect i n 1978 . Judge d b y the usua l economic indicators , Hong Kong societ y 2 Kingsle y Bolton became rich extremel y quickl y i n th e perio d o f it s modern formation , wit h the per capit a GD P rising fro m US$41 0 in th e 1960 s to US$23,00 0 b y 1996 , although great disparities of wealth continue to exist. The territory's separation from mainlan d Chin a meant tha t Hong Kon g also began t o develop it s ow n cultural identity . B y 1971, a majorit y o f th e populatio n (som e 5 6 percent) , could clai m to be 'Hon g Kong-born' , an d b y 1991 this proportion ha d rise n to almost 6 0 percent.