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The English Language in Hong Kong pp 53–70Cite as

English as a Business Lingua Franca

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Abstract

This chapter examines the role of English in Hong Kong’s business and professional worlds since the mid-nineteenth century. The chapter begins by discussing the perceived importance of English in the city’s economic development and then moves on to discuss the learning and use of the language for business purposes when Hong Kong functioned as an entrepôt centre (circa 1860s to 1940s). The second part of the chapter focuses on the linguistic implications of the city’s economic transformations since the early 1950s. This part presents detailed empirical evidence of the role of written and spoken English relative to Cantonese, written Chinese, and Putonghua in the four key service industries that have driven Hong Kong’s economy since the handover.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hong KongPolytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Stephen Evans

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  1. Stephen Evans
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Cite this chapter

Evans, S. (2016). English as a Business Lingua Franca. In: The English Language in Hong Kong. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50624-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50624-5_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-50623-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-50624-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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