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The English Language in Hong Kong pp 91–107Cite as

The Evolutionary Dynamics of Hong Kong English

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Abstract

This chapter examines the evolutionary dynamics of Hong Kong English (HKE). The chapter commences by reviewing scholarly perspectives on the status of HKE as an autonomous variety of the language and benchmarking HKE against the key criteria that supposedly define post-colonial Englishes (PCE). The body of the chapter tests the applicability of Schneider’s (2007) Dynamic Model of the evolution of PCEs to the Hong Kong context. This is accomplished by presenting and discussing a range of evidence relating to the Dynamic Model’s four parameters, namely, socio-political background, identity constructions, sociolinguistic conditions, and linguistic effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Stephen Evans

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  1. Stephen Evans
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Evans, S. (2016). The Evolutionary Dynamics of Hong Kong English. In: The English Language in Hong Kong. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50624-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50624-5_6

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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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