Investigation of Language Identities, Ideologies and Linguistic Landscapes of Minority Languages in Hong Kong: Pilot Study in Chungking Mansions

Abstract

Hong Kong is renowned as a multicultural cosmopolitan that is linguistically diverse and embraces various cultural elements. Yet, in reflection on the local context, the minority languages are rather invisible, and it arouses concerns about language equity. Given that language identities and language ideologies are both influencing and influenced by one another. Language identities relate to self-perception while language ideologies may cause social impacts. The pilot study was conducted in Chungking Mansions since it is a cluster of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. The major groups include traders, shop operators and employees, asylum seekers and tourists. A semi-structured interview with a participant from the domain of ‘shop operators’ is conducted to study their language beliefs. With the support of linguistic landscapes, the researcher discovered the ideologies of Neoliberalism, Englishization and Multilingualism which echo the self-portrayed identities of the group as both a Hong Konger and the hybrid recognition of oneself.