Hong Kong English
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong English may refer to two different yet interrelated concepts. The first concept refers to the variation or dialect of the English language
used in Hong Kong
. The second concept refers to the accent and elements as a result of its use by Cantonese speakers.
For the first meaning, Hong Kong predominantly uses British spellings. Pronunciations and words are also predominantly British, although influences from Canadian and Australian English do exist as a result of large numbers of returnees
. But there are also words not from the British Isles, such as 'chop', 'shroff', 'nullah' and 'godown'. These vocabularies are usually of Indian
or Malay origins, following expansion of the British empire in the 19th century.
The second meaning, which is also called Cantonese English, in theory, refers to the accent
and characteristics of English spoken by native Hongkongers
and other Cantonese speakers
. Overall, it is primarily spoken by those whose first language is :Cantonese. Therefore, although it is called as Hong Kong English, it is not only spoken in Hong Kong. People, who come from Cantonese speaking regions or those whose first language is Cantonese, speak it, such as people who come from Canton
(now known as Guangzhou
). It is often considered, especially by the locals, as the Hong Kong variant of Chinglish
.
Since many of the 'characteristics' in Hong Kong English are perceived as erroneous, the term is often used by locals as a disparagement rather than to describe a linguistic identity. The majority of Hongkongers with English proficiency tend to follow British English
, American English
or a mixture of the two.
s in Hong Kong, and is used widely in the Government, academic circles, business
and the courts
. All road and government signs are bilingual and English is as equally valid as Chinese on legal and business standings.
In contrast to multi-cultural Singapore
where English is the first language of 70% of ethnic Chinese and 25% of Malays and Indians, Hong Kong's population is 95% ethnic Chinese
(Cantonese, Fukienese, Teochew, Fukchow, Hakka) and is a predominantly Cantonese-speaking society. Most shops located in districts seldom visited by foreign visitors have signs in Chinese only, and, in locally owned enterprises, written communications are in English with all other work conducted in Chinese.
Under this backdrop most Hongkongers regard English as a foreign language, albeit a prestigious one, used primarily for formal communications, particularly in writing. There is little exposure to the English language, this is increasingly even more so since the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
in 1997. Since that year, the government has been pushing very hard to make sure that government-funded Chinese-as-a-medium-of-instruction (CMI) schools use English only to teach English language as a subject, and not as the medium of instruction
for other subjects; English-as-a-medium-of-instruction (EMI) schools are not subjected to such limitation. Only a handful of other government primary and secondary schools are now allowed to use English as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong such as the English Schools Foundation and Toher international schools (whereas many independent fee-charging schools continue to use the English as the medium of instruction). An educational reform in 2010 loosened this restriction on CMI schools. Nonetheless, being able to use English fluently is uncommon, and most Hongkongers fluent in English are regarded as part of the upper-middle class .
People with higher, past experience of living in English-speaking countries, or who constantly interact with Hong Kong's English-speaking expatriate
communities, generally speak an acquired form of English. Accent and spelling
preference may vary from person to person, depending on the people they have interacted with and the country they have studied in. For most ordinary local Hongkongers however, the English spoken is generally typical of foreign language
learners: Cantonese-influenced pronunciation with some acquired Received Pronunciation
characteristics, and with vocabularies and sentence structure generally more formal than those of native speakers. For instance, contractions and slang are not used, and many idioms are alien to Hongkongers as they do not pertain to English-speaking countries' cultures.
The falling English proficiency of local English teachers has come under criticism. In response, the Education Bureau has required English teachers without English language undergraduate degrees to submit to an assessment, called "LPAT", to ensure that their English was of sufficiently high calibre. Those failing LPAT are no longer permitted to teach English. Unless hired by the government, even native English speakers were to undergo LPAT screening. Few opted to retire to avoid the LPAT process, while others failed the test.
or Portuguese
/Macanese
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
used in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The second concept refers to the accent and elements as a result of its use by Cantonese speakers.
For the first meaning, Hong Kong predominantly uses British spellings. Pronunciations and words are also predominantly British, although influences from Canadian and Australian English do exist as a result of large numbers of returnees
Hong Kong returnee
A Hong Kong returnee is a resident of Hong Kong who emigrated to another country, lived for an extended period of time in his or her adopted home, and then subsequently moved back to Hong Kong.-Population:...
. But there are also words not from the British Isles, such as 'chop', 'shroff', 'nullah' and 'godown'. These vocabularies are usually of Indian
Indians in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has been the place of settlement for many Indians for a long time. Some of them have lived there for a few generations and considered Hong Kong as their home. In the pre-war period, there were almost 7,000 Indians in Hong Kong...
or Malay origins, following expansion of the British empire in the 19th century.
The second meaning, which is also called Cantonese English, in theory, refers to the accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
and characteristics of English spoken by native Hongkongers
Hong Kong people
Hong Kong people refer to people who originate from Hong Kong. The term has no legal definition in Hong Kong. Rather, terms such as Hong Kong permanent resident and Hong Kong resident are used...
and other Cantonese speakers
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people are Han people whose ancestral homes are in Guangdong, China. The term "Cantonese people" would then be synonymous with the Bun Dei sub-ethnic group, and is sometimes known as Gwong Fu Jan for this narrower definition...
. Overall, it is primarily spoken by those whose first language is :Cantonese. Therefore, although it is called as Hong Kong English, it is not only spoken in Hong Kong. People, who come from Cantonese speaking regions or those whose first language is Cantonese, speak it, such as people who come from Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
(now known as Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
). It is often considered, especially by the locals, as the Hong Kong variant of Chinglish
Chinglish
Chinglish refers to spoken or written English language that is influenced by the Chinese language. The term "Chinglish" is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts, and may have pejorative or deprecating connotations, reflecting the attitudes of those who apply...
.
Since many of the 'characteristics' in Hong Kong English are perceived as erroneous, the term is often used by locals as a disparagement rather than to describe a linguistic identity. The majority of Hongkongers with English proficiency tend to follow British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
or a mixture of the two.
Background
English is one of the official languageOfficial language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
s in Hong Kong, and is used widely in the Government, academic circles, business
Economy of Hong Kong
As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the ninth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong has remained as the world's freest economy,...
and the courts
Judiciary of Hong Kong
The Judiciary of Hong Kong is responsible for the administration of justice in Hong Kong. It hears all prosecutions and civil disputes, including disputes between individuals and the government. It is fundamental to Hong Kong’s legal system that members of the judiciary are independent of the...
. All road and government signs are bilingual and English is as equally valid as Chinese on legal and business standings.
In contrast to multi-cultural Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
where English is the first language of 70% of ethnic Chinese and 25% of Malays and Indians, Hong Kong's population is 95% ethnic Chinese
Ethnic Chinese
Ethnic Chinese may refer to:*Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macao, the Republic of China and Singapore....
(Cantonese, Fukienese, Teochew, Fukchow, Hakka) and is a predominantly Cantonese-speaking society. Most shops located in districts seldom visited by foreign visitors have signs in Chinese only, and, in locally owned enterprises, written communications are in English with all other work conducted in Chinese.
Under this backdrop most Hongkongers regard English as a foreign language, albeit a prestigious one, used primarily for formal communications, particularly in writing. There is little exposure to the English language, this is increasingly even more so since the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
in 1997. Since that year, the government has been pushing very hard to make sure that government-funded Chinese-as-a-medium-of-instruction (CMI) schools use English only to teach English language as a subject, and not as the medium of instruction
Medium of instruction
Medium of instruction is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. Where the first language of students is different from the official language, it may be used as the medium of instruction for part or all of schooling. Bilingual or...
for other subjects; English-as-a-medium-of-instruction (EMI) schools are not subjected to such limitation. Only a handful of other government primary and secondary schools are now allowed to use English as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong such as the English Schools Foundation and Toher international schools (whereas many independent fee-charging schools continue to use the English as the medium of instruction). An educational reform in 2010 loosened this restriction on CMI schools. Nonetheless, being able to use English fluently is uncommon, and most Hongkongers fluent in English are regarded as part of the upper-middle class .
People with higher, past experience of living in English-speaking countries, or who constantly interact with Hong Kong's English-speaking expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
communities, generally speak an acquired form of English. Accent and spelling
Spelling
Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...
preference may vary from person to person, depending on the people they have interacted with and the country they have studied in. For most ordinary local Hongkongers however, the English spoken is generally typical of foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
learners: Cantonese-influenced pronunciation with some acquired Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation , also called the Queen's English, Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms...
characteristics, and with vocabularies and sentence structure generally more formal than those of native speakers. For instance, contractions and slang are not used, and many idioms are alien to Hongkongers as they do not pertain to English-speaking countries' cultures.
The falling English proficiency of local English teachers has come under criticism. In response, the Education Bureau has required English teachers without English language undergraduate degrees to submit to an assessment, called "LPAT", to ensure that their English was of sufficiently high calibre. Those failing LPAT are no longer permitted to teach English. Unless hired by the government, even native English speakers were to undergo LPAT screening. Few opted to retire to avoid the LPAT process, while others failed the test.
Voicing of consonants
- Consonants in Cantonese are all voiceless except nasals and approximants, as a result, *d, *z, *dʒ are pronounced t (unaspirated), s, tʃ (unaspirated), for example.
Devocing of final consonants
- Most people confuse the endings -d and -t, making "bad" and "bat" homonyms. Same phenomenon also occurs for the pairs -g/-k and -b/-p.
Sh/s
- Most people confuse the initials sh with s. That is because in Cantonese there is, in terms of vocalisation, no 'sh' sound. Though this condition does not appear on nearly all the younger, or even the middle-aged Hongkongers.
R
- Like many places in Britain and the US, Hong Kong English is non-rhoticRhotic and non-rhotic accentsEnglish pronunciation can be divided into two main accent groups: a rhotic speaker pronounces a rhotic consonant in words like hard; a non-rhotic speaker does not...
, which means 'r' is not pronounced except before a vowel. However, with the influence of American programmes shown in TV, young people in Hong Kong have started to pronounce the 'r' sound as in General AmericanGeneral AmericanGeneral American , also known as Standard American English , is a major accent of American English. The accent is not restricted to the United States...
English. - Some people pronounce "r" as "w", except when followed by consonant other than g and k. e.g. rain -> wayne, free->fee.
Wh
- 'Wh' is read as 'w', as in English English and most American dialectsAmerican EnglishAmerican English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
(not /hw/ as in Scottish EnglishScottish EnglishScottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
and some American dialects).
V
- Many Chinese people cannot pronounce 'v' as native English speakers do, because the 'v' sound has no equivalent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and many other dialects; but in the case of other Chinese dialects, such as Wu and Hakka dialects, there is an equivalent of the 'v' sound, hence speakers of those dialects have little difficulty pronouncing this sound. Some people read 'v' as 'w'. (e.g. 'Vector' and 'Aston Villa'; 'Vince' is read as "Whince"; Louis VuittonLouis VuittonLouis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
, unpronounceable to Chinese, is universally referred to as 'LV', pronounced "E'llo-Wee") - Other 'v' becomes 'w' or 'f' mostly with a consensus yet no obvious pattern. (e.g. 'f' in 'favour', second 'v' in 'Volvo' and either 'f' or 'w' in 'develop' depending on the speaker.)
N/L
- Often 'n' is changed to 'l' which reflects current usage in the Hong Kong Cantonese; many people in Hong Kong, particularly the younger generation, mix up the initials /n/ and /l/ in English. (In Cantonese the original correct pronunciation of, for example, 女 (JyutpingJyutpingJyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
neoi5) meaning lady/female/woman is /noi/, but is almost always pronounced /loi/ in modern Hong Kong usage. Also, the correct pronunciation of 你 (you) is nei5, but it is almost always pronounced lei5 in Hong Kong usage.) - Nasals in English are stronger than in Cantonese.
- l vocalization is common: final ('dark') l, }, is often pronounced w, as in PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, e.g. "bell" --> /bew/, "milk" --> /miwk/. This /w/ is sometimes strengthened and becomes like /o/ (e.g., sale becomes SAY-o).
J/G
- Beginning 'j' and soft 'g' commonly read as 'dz'[ts]. It is less noticeable as there is no contrast in the initial position between /ts/ and /tʃ/ in both Cantonese and English. Many people also merge the sound "dr" with j/soft g.
ə
- A speaker of Hong Kong English differentiates the pronunciations of the words affect and effect. In Standard English, both words are pronounced /əˈfɛkt/, with a reduced vowelVowel reductionIn phonetics, vowel reduction is any of various changes in the acoustic quality of vowels, which are related to changes in stress, sonority, duration, loudness, articulation, or position in the word , and which are perceived as "weakening"...
"schwaSchwaIn linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa can mean the following:*An unstressed and toneless neutral vowel sound in some languages, often but not necessarily a mid-central vowel...
" (/ə/) . However, a speaker of Hong Kong English often emphasises the vowel, pronouncing affect as /aˈfɛk/ and effect as /iˈfɛk/ (or even /jiˈfɛk/).
æ ~ ɛ
- Merging of /æ/ and /ɛ/ to /ɛ/. e.g. 'bad' and 'bed', 'mass' and 'mess'.
Z
- The letter “z” is generally pronounced [jiˈsɛt̚] (YEE-zed), a corrupted version (due to various of the above-mentioned reasons) of a very archaic pronunciation /ɪˈzæd/; the usual pronunciations, /zɛd/ (used in UK and most of the Commonwealth nations) and /ziː/ (used in USA), are not understood by some.
Intonation
- Multi-syllableSyllableA syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
words are often differently stressed. For example, while the word "latteLatteA latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as masala chai, mate or matcha...
" is pronounced ˈlɑːteɪ in most variants of the English language, it is usually pronounced [laːˈtɛ] in Hong Kong English, with the second syllable stressed instead of the first. - Omission of entire syllables in longer words. ('Difference' become DIFF-ENS, 'temperature' becomes TEM-PI-CHUR.)
- Words beginning with unstressed syllables 'con' are generally pronounced its stressed form /kawn/ with a lower pitch, e.g. 'connection', 'consent', 'condition'. Words beginning with stressed syllable 'com-' e.g. 'competition', 'common' and 'compromise' are pronounced /kahm/.
Lack of double consonantal endings
- Due to Cantonese phonology, many Hong Kongers have difficulty pronouncing double consonant endings, except when the second element is fricative. e.g. "think" as "thing", "swamp" as "swam", "send" and "sent" as "sen". "Sense" is unaffected.
- Finals like /-kt/ is reduced to either -k or -t.
Lack of structure of diphthong+consonant
- In Cantonese, there is no structure of diphthong+consonant. As a result, /eɪn/ becomes /ɪŋ/, /oʊn/ becomes /ʊŋ/, and /aʊn/ becomes /aːn/. Many people pronounce -ake identically to ick, also -ane identically to -ing.
- For the case /aɪn/ or /aɪt/, some speakers omit the ending consonant, resulting in /aɪ/.
Others
- When speaking English, many people tend to assign one of the six tones (or nine, if entering tones are included) of the Cantonese language to English sentences, giving it a Cantonese style.
- Exaggeration of certain final consonants, for example 's' (to /si/) and 'd' sounds of past-tense form of verbs (to [tət̚]).
- Differences or omission in ending sounds. (as the ending consonants are always voicelessVoicelessIn linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, this is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word "phonation" implies voicing, and that voicelessness is the lack of...
and unreleased (glotallisedGlottal stopThe glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
) in Cantonese with the exception of 'm', 'n' and 'ng', similar to Basel GermanBasel GermanBasel German or Baseldytsch is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland. Among the Swiss German dialects, it is the only Low Alemannic one.- Aspirated plosives :...
) - Producing the 'w', 'h' or 'l' sounds in words like GreenwichGreenwichGreenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, Bonham, Beckham, and is reflected in the transliteration of the words, for example, Beckham is transliterated 碧咸 . - Merging the contrast of voicelessVoicelessIn linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, this is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word "phonation" implies voicing, and that voicelessness is the lack of...
/ voicedVoice (phonetics)Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...
consonants with aspiratedAspiration (phonetics)In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
/ unaspirated if any contrast exists in Cantonese. This is because English voiceless consonants are most often aspirated, whereas the voiced ones are always unaspirated. The stop /p/ becomes [pʰ] and /b/ becomes [p]; /t/ becomes [tʰ] and /d/ becomes [t]; /k/ becomes [kʰ] and /ɡ/ becomes [k] (except when preceded by s, where the English consonants are unaspirated). - Merging voiceless / voiced consonants into voiceless if there is no contrast in aspirated / unaspirated in Cantonese. Both [f] and [v] become [f]; both [z] and [s] become [s]; both [tʃ] and [dʒ] become [tʃ] ; both [ʃ] and [ʒ] become [ʃ]; the only exception might be that [θ] and [ð] are never confused, due to difficulty in pronouncing [θ] and [ð]: many pronounce [θ] as [f], [ð], as [d].
- Confusion between homographs (words with the same spelling but different meanings), e.g. the noun "resume" (c.v.) and the verb "resume" (to continue).
Grammar
- Omitting articles like "the" and "a".
- Contractions such as "aren't" are almost never used, even in conversations, as English in Hong Kong is used largely for formal writing.
- Confusion with verb tenses and agreement of singular or plural nouns, as they have no direct equivalents in Chinese grammar (Mandarin and Cantonese). Or because that verb tenses are expressed using a preposition or exclamation words at the end of the sentence.
- Use of prepositions: "on", "in" and "at" are often interchangeable.
- Yes/No confusion: In Cantonese, "yes" represents an agreement, "no" represents a disagreement, whilst in English "yes" represents a positive answer, "no" represents a negative answer. For example: "She isn't pretty, is she?" might attract the answer "No" when the native Cantonese speaker means "I disagree, in my opinion she is pretty".
- "There is/are" becomes "there has/have", a direct translation.
- Plural forms: there are no plural forms in Chinese, so plural and singular forms tend to be confused.
- After someone apologizes, they would substitute "It's fine/It's okay" with "Never mind". In Chinese, an apology is often replied to with 無事(meaning "no matter", "it's nothing", or "never mind").
- "Actually" (also "In fact") is used much more frequently in Hong Kong English than in standard English. The Cantonese equivalent, 其實 ("keih sat"), is used more frequently in standard Chinese than "actually" is used in standard English.
- Using "lend" and "borrow" interchangeably. e.g. "I will borrow you my car" (real meaning: "I will lend you my car"). In Chinese, the word 借 is commonly used for both meanings.
- Omitting -ed and -ing. e.g. "He is charm.", "I feel touch." (real meaning: "He is charming.", "I feel touched.")
- Using -ed and -ing interchangeably, e.g. "bored" and "boring". e.g. "I am so boring!" (real meaning: "I am so bored!"). In Chinese, the word 無聊 is commonly used for both meanings.
- Using "win" instead of "beat". e.g. "I win you in the race!" (real meaning: "I beat you in the race!"). In Chinese, the word 贏 is commonly used for both meanings.
- Using "hear" instead of "listen". e.g. "I hear the radio" (real meaning: "I listen to the radio"). In Chinese, the word 聽 is commonly used for both meanings.
- Using "see" instead of "watch". e.g. "I see the television." (real meaning: "I watch (or am watching) the television"). In Chinese, the word 睇 is commonly used for both meanings. In fact, 'watch' is only associated with wrist-watches, a noun.
Numbers
- 10,000: Numbers larger than ten thousand. In Chinese, 10 thousand is read as one myriadMyriadMyriad , "numberlesscountless, infinite", is a classical Greek word for the number 10,000. In modern English, the word refers to an unspecified large quantity.-History and usage:...
, 100 thousand as 10 myriad, one million as 100 myriad. Even so, most people will not use the English word "myriad" so this type of English is hardly ever seen. - Fractions: "three over four" (or three fourth) may wrongly be taken as "four over three". In Chinese, the denominator is read before the numerator. For example, three-fourths in Chinese is "四分之三", literally "out of four portions, three".
- Discounts: the Chinese way of saying 10% off is "90% of the original price". This is often written as 9折 (or 九折) which is understood to mean "discounted to 9/10 of the original price". When two digits are given the divisor is understood to be 100, e.g. 75折 (or 七五折) means 25% off.
American/ British spelling and word usage
- Both BritishBritish EnglishBritish English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
and AmericanAmerican EnglishAmerican English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
spellings are in common use, with the British variant predominating in official circles. - When referring to the same thing, British vocabulary is more commonly used, for example: bin instead of garbage can; lift instead of elevator.
Variations
- end-word: In informal conversation like instant messengers, sentence-final particles or interjections of Cantonese originEtymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
such as ar, la, lu, ma and wor—many of these being “flavouring particles”—are used at the ends of English sentenceSentence (linguistics)In the field of linguistics, a sentence is an expression in natural language, and often defined to indicate a grammatical unit consisting of one or more words that generally bear minimal syntactic relation to the words that precede or follow it...
s. - "I've eaten dinner lu" (“I've had dinner”—“lu” /lu˧/ indicates a perfect and makes the sentence more informal)
- "I go la/lah, bye" (“I'm leaving, bye!”—“la” /la˧/ indicates intent and makes the sentence more informal)
Compass directions
- In terms of the directions, east-west directions are said before north-south directions. So east-north (東北) may be said in place of north-east.
Hong Kong vocabulary
Some words and phrases widely understood in Hong Kong are rare or unheard of elsewhere. These often derive from Chinese, Anglo-IndianAnglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
or Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
/Macanese
Macanese language
Macanese or Macau Creole is a creole language derived mainly from Malay, Sinhalese, Cantonese, and Portuguese, which was originally spoken by the Macanese community of the Portuguese colony of Macau...
.
- A 'chop' is a seal or stamp, e.g. a "Company chop" is the seal or stamp of a corporation (It actually originates from colonial Indian English.) It is now used in some other commonwealth countries as a non-official term.
- 'Hong Kong foot' is a literal translation of the Chinese slang term "香港腳" for athlete's footAthlete's footAthlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. It is caused by fungi in the genus Trichophyton and is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses...
. - Hongkongers colloquially use the term "sit-in" to refer to "academic auditing".
- A Tai-PanTai-PanThe term tai-pan was originally used to describe a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
(or 'taipan') is a term used in early 20th century for a business executive of a large corporation. - An amah is a term used in early 20th century for a live-in servant (from Macanese/Portuguese- ama nurse).
- "Open the door, see the mountain" is a direct translation of the Chinese phrase "開門見山", which roughly means "go straight to the point" in a conversation.
- "Add oil" is a direct translation of the Chinese phrase JiayouJiayouJiayou is a Chinese figure of speech or idiom, meaning "be stronger!"jiā means "to add", and yóu means oil or fuel. Therefore jiayou literally means "add oil" or "add fuel", as in refuelling a motor vehicle; by anology jiayou is used to encourage someone to put more effort into a certain...
, and is used to encourage someone to put more effort into a certain task. - A 'shroff' is a cashier in a hospital, a government office or a car park (parking garage).
- "Godown" is a warehouseWarehouseA warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
. From the Malay "gudang". - A 'body check' is a medical checkup (medical examination), not a contact with an opponent from the front (due to literal translation from Chinese).
- "Outlook" is often (mis)understood as "appearance".
- Jetso ("著數") is sometimes used to mean discount or special offer. Also meaning advantage in a lot of cases.
- "Over the puddle" is used as reference to the other side of Victoria HarbourVictoria HarbourVictoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
; e.g. "This is Kowloon, Hong Kong Island is there over the puddle." (Analogous to referring to the Atlantic Ocean as ʼthe pondʼ.) - Nullah is a cement-lined canal or an re-inforced creek bed used to contain run-off. Nullah entered the English language from Hindi. The word nullah is used almost exclusively in Hong Kong.
- Pitch -as in "soccer pitch"- means "field." Soccer pitches in Hong Kong are frequently topped with cement.
See also
- Linguistics
- Chinese Pidgin EnglishChinese Pidgin EnglishChinese Pidgin English is a Pidgin language between English and Chinese. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, there was also Chinese Pidgin English spoken in Cantonese-speaking portions of China...
- Phonemic differentiation
- Regional accents of English speakersRegional accents of English speakersThe regional accents of English speakers show great variation across the areas where English is spoken as a first language. This article provides an overview of the many identifiable variations in pronunciation, usually deriving from the phoneme inventory of the local dialect, of the local variety...
- ChinglishChinglishChinglish refers to spoken or written English language that is influenced by the Chinese language. The term "Chinglish" is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts, and may have pejorative or deprecating connotations, reflecting the attitudes of those who apply...
- SinglishSinglishColloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
- Chinese Pidgin English
- Hong Kong
- Code-switching in Hong KongCode-switching in Hong KongCode-switching, or the practice of using more than one language in conversation, is very common in Hong Kong. It usually involves a mix of Cantonese and English as a result of the bilingualism in Hong Kong...
- Education in Hong KongEducation in Hong KongEducation in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernised by the British in 1861. The system is often described as extremely competitive by global standards....
- Hong Kong CantoneseHong Kong CantoneseHong Kong Cantonese is a form of Yue Chinese commonly spoken in Hong Kong. Although Hongkongers largely identify this variant of Chinese with the term "Cantonese" , a variety of publications in mainland China describe the variant as Hong Kong speech...
- Languages of Hong KongLanguages of Hong KongIn Hong Kong, English and Chinese are the official languages as defined in the Basic Law of Hong Kong. Since Britain's arrival in 1842, English became the sole official language of Hong Kong until 1974. The majority of the population in Hong Kong are descendants of migrants from mainland China...
- Code-switching in Hong Kong
EL / Further reading
- Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor, a collection of unique local words and senses.
- Innovation in Interlanguage Phonology: Evidence from Hong Kong English – Part I, Hong Kong English, Dr. Tony T.N. Hung, Hong Kong Baptist University Language Centre
- Unit 2-1: LEXICAL FEATURES, Hong Kong English, Dr. Tony T.N. Hung, Hong Kong Baptist University Language Centre
- "Hong Kong’s English Teaching Conundrum", C.K. Lau, (Summer 2009) Hong Kong Journal
- Caryn Yeo, (23 Feb 2009). "Hong Kong's English, Cantonese conundrum", The Straits Times
- "The cat got your mother tongue? – The Brits make a linguistic comeback", The Economist (12 June 2008)