ALRJournal. 2019; 3(4): 1-14 | DOI: 10.14744/alrj.2019.22932

Trilingual Code-switching in Hong Kong

Ka Long Roy Chan
Department of English, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

The present study is a follow-up study on Chan (2018a) which examined a new code-switching form in Hong Kong called trilingual code-switching. Previous studies on the code-switching in Hong Kong focused mainly on bilingual code-switching between Cantonese and English, yet Chan’s (2018a) ethnolinguistic study suggested that there was a new form of trilingual code-switching among Cantonese, English and Putonghua arisen in Hong Kong because of the increasing contact with mainland China as well as the introduction of Putonghua in the school curriculum. By analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data from sixty university students collected through an online survey, the present study revealed Hongkongers’ view on three language uses, including the use of pure code, bilingual code-switching and trilingual code-switching. The result showed that trilingual code-switching exists in Hong Kong with a low acceptance in Hong Kong. Also, the research showed how bilingual code-switching is linked to a Hong Kong identity.

Keywords: Trilingual code-switching, Code-switching, Hong Kong English, Hong Kong identity

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