The Emergence and Development of Hong Kong English

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to critically review previous studies on Hong Kong English (HKE) and examine the future research focus on this issue. Three historical stages are outlined to evaluate the emergence of HKE: the early era of English in Hong Kong, the late colonial era of HKE, and the post-1997 era of HKE. Two issues emerge from the evaluation of HKE. One is the negative attitude towards HKE, the other is whether English or Cantonese should be the medium of instruction in schools and universities. Although it can be concluded that HKE has already developed into a unique variety in the world, the future research focus could be on language attitude and the medium of instruction.