The Hong Kong Language Context

Abstract

This chapter introduces the macrolinguistic context of multilingual Hong Kong society by outlining (a) the types and extents of the plurilinguality of its citizenry, (b) the current state of their biliteracy in Chinese and English, and (c) their perceived ethnolinguistic identities (Hongkonger, Chinese Hongkonger, Hong Kong Chinese, or Chinese) with reference to their attitudes towards Cantonese, English and Putonghua. The chapter will end with a synopsis of the rest of the book.