Does Hong Kong speak a different language than China?

The Basic Law of Hong Kong states that English and Chinese are the two official languages of Hong Kong. During the British colonial era, English was the sole official language until 1978 but has remained a strong second language in Hong Kong.

What style of English is spoken in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is like a big pot which inside are immigrants from different countries globally. Most local guys speak English mixed with strong Cantonese tone. There are also new immigrant from mainland China, most of them highly educated graduates, speaking Chinese English, which is always called Chinglish.

How well do Hong Kongers speak English?

Only 6 percent of Hongkongers speak English well, although they tend to over-report their proficiency, a study by HKU’s Social Sciences Research Centre showed. The results showed that 6 percent of respondents speak English well and 1.5 percent have a native-like command of the language.

Why English is important in Hong Kong?

One hundred years of British ruling has cemented the importance of English in Hong Kong as a functional lingua franca – judging that English is paramount for international trade and business, and central to Hong Kong’s economic and social wellbeing.

How did English develop in Hong Kong?

Early in the eighteenth century, English was used in Canton (Guangzhou), a key trading area. Between the mid eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this kind of English gradually developed from Canton English, which was spoken as a jargon, to Chinese Pidgin English, which was still widely used in the south of China.

How many people in Hong Kong are fluent in English?

Actually, according to a recent census report, less than 50\% of Hong Kong’s residents speak fluent English. It is thus not surprising that only 3\% of locals prefer to use English as their usual, everyday language.

Do most people in Hong Kong speak English?

If you mean where English is the first language of everyone, then no. Most people speak Cantonese as their first language. However, most people (basically anyone under 65) DOES speak English. English (as well as Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese) is a mandatory course in Hong Kong schools,…

Is Hong Kong a Chinese or Cantonese speaking country?

Since the beginning, Hong Kong is a Cantonese speaking country, as Hong Kong is part of the Guang Zhou province, in which the mother language is Cantonese. So essentially, Hong Kong is a Cantonese speaking country before and after the handover of Hong Kong from British government to China

How do you pronounce Hong Kong accent?

Like many accents in Britain, Hong Kong English is non-rhotic, so /ɹ/ is only pronounced before a vowel. However, with the growing influence of American English and Canadian English, many young people in Hong Kong now pronounce the /ɹ/ in the coda of a syllable.

What is the official language of business in Hong Kong?

During the colonial period and up to 1974, English was the official language and language of business in Hong Kong. Today, approximately 3\% of the population write and speak fluent English while almost 38\% have basic conversational English skills.