Hong Kong and “Bilingualism With and Without Diglossia; Diglossia With and Without Bilingualism”

Abstract

26 years have passed since Hong Kong sovereignty was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. In the meanwhile, the former colonial tension between the dominant language (English) and the dominated one (Cantonese) is on the move by various factors including an influx of Putonghua from the mainland. Their status and roles began to be de-constructed and seek a new relationship. This essay explores the socio-linguistic shift from pre-1997 to post-1997 of Hong Kong in line with Joshua Fishman’s classical article. It seems that some of his perspectives on ‘diglossia’ are still applicable, but that some are not suitable, for describing the current phenomenon of language and society in Hong Kong. In the process, it is argued not only from the functional point of view but through the power relation viewpoint. As a result, the exploration has clarified the singularity of Hong Kong in a post-colonial era.