This volume offers a view of the linguistic situation in Hong Kong in the final years of the twentieth century, as it enters the post-colonial era. In the chapters of this book, scholars from Hong Kong and around the world present a contemporary profile of Chinese, English, and other languages in dynamic interaction in this major international economic centre. Authors survey usage of different languages and attitudes towards them among students, teachers, and the general population based on census data, newpapers, language diaries, interviews, and questionnaires. They address issues of code-mixing, the shift from English-medium to Chinese-medium education, the place of Putonghua in the local language mix, and the language of minority groups such as Hong Kong Indians.This wide-ranging group of original studies provides a social and historical perspective from which to consider developments in language among the past, present, and future populations of Hong Kong.

Language matters in China. It is about power, identity, opportunities, and, above all, passion and nationalism. During the past five decades China’s language engineering projects transformed its linguistic landscape, affecting over one billion people’s lives, including both the majority and minority populations. The Han majority have been juggling between their home vernaculars and the official speech, Putonghua - a speech of no native speakers - and reading their way through a labyrinth of the traditional, simplified, and Pinyin (Roman) scripts. Moreover, the various minority groups have been struggling between their native languages and Chinese, maintaining the former for their heritages and identities and learning the latter for quality education and socioeconomic advancement. The contributors of this volume provide the first comprehensive scrutiny of this sweeping linguistic revolution from three unique perspectives. First, outside scholars critically question the parities between constitutional rights and actual practices and between policies and outcomes. Second, inside policy practitioners review their own project involvements and inside politics, pondering over missteps, undergoing soul-searching, and theorizing their personal experiences. Third, scholars of minority origin give inside views of policy implementations and challenges in their home communities. The volume sheds light on the complexity of language policy making and implementing as well as on the politics and ideology of language in contemporary China.

More than a quarter of a million Muslims live and work in Hong Kong. Among them are descendants of families who have been in the city for generations, recent immigrants from around the world, and growing numbers of migrant workers. Islam in Hong Kong explores the lives of Muslims as ethnic and religious minorities in this unique post-colonial Chinese city. Drawing on interviews with Muslims of different origins, O’Connor builds a detailed picture of daily life through topical chapters on language, space, religious education, daily prayers, maintaining a halal diet in a Chinese environment, racism, and other subjects. Although the picture that emerges is complex and ambiguous, one striking conclusion is that Muslims in Hong Kong generally find acceptance as a community and do not consider themselves to be victimised because of their religion.

The Handbook of Bilingualism provides state-of-the-art treatments of the central issues that arise in consideration of the phenomena of bilingualism ranging from the representation of the two languages in the bilingual individual's brain to the various forms of bilingual education, including the status of bilingualism in each area of the world. Provides state-of-the-art coverage of a wide variety of topics, ranging from neuro- and psycho-linguistic research to studies of media and psychological counseling. Includes latest assessment of the global linguistic situation with particular emphasis on those geographical areas which are centers of global conflict and commerce. Explores new topics such as global media and mobile and electronic language learning. Includes contributions by internationally renowned researchers from different disciplines, genders, and ethnicities.

Papers in this issue: Aziyana Bayyr-ool & Vitaly Voinov (pp. 1 - 24); Ellen Thompson, Maria Omana, Javier Collado-Isasi & Amanda Yousuf (pp. 25 - 40); Nancy Sullivan, Robert T. Schatz & Carol Ming-hung Lam (pp. 41 - 70); Brian G. Rubrecht & Kayoko Ishikawa (pp. 71 - 96); Thuy Nga Nguyen & Ghil'ad Zuckermann (pp. 97 - 118); Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan (pp. 119 - 140); Judith Runnels (pp. 141 - 153); Peter Kosta & Diego Gabriel Krivochen (pp. 154 - 182)

International perspectives on intercultural learning are presented within a framework of cultures of learning related to education and language learning and use in academic contexts. Intercultural learning involves learners travelling to learn in a place where other cultures of learning are dominant and to which they are usually expected to adapt.

The dominant view of many linguists and educators has been that Hong Kong English is a variety of the language that is derived from, and dependent on, the metropolitan norm of British English. It has been argued that English in Hong Kong was never 'nativized' as in other Asian societies, and that it has not deserved the recognition accorded to other varieties of Asian English. The contributions to this book challenge that view in a number of ways. In addressing sociolinguistic, structural, and literary issues, they provide an up-to-date survey of current use of Hong Kong English, and redress the question of its autonomy in terms of both distinctive linguistic features and the growing literary creativity of the variety. An original and highly informed discussion on the futures for Hong Kong English, and chapters providing additional resources for the study of the variety, are also included.