Communication issues during a period of radical transition: The case of Hong Kong

Abstract

This article briefly examines the fundamental communication issues facing Hong Kong in her transition from British sovereignty to mainland Chinese sovereignty as a Special Administrative Region. Reference is made to the origins of Hong Kong, which have determined many of the contemporary communication problems in the territory. Recent social psychological research is reported, which treats the complex social psychological interaction between English, Cantonese, and Putonghua, the main languages of Hong Kong's uncertain future.

Key concepts:

• Ethnolinguistics
• Hong Kong
• Chinese languages
• mass media
• Chinese history
• subjective vitality