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Language ideology and indexicality of non-standard Cantonese in Hong Kong

Vivian Y . Y . Yip

City University of Hong Kong CLSW May 2020

Introduction

Language ideology:

• A mediating link between social structures

and speech (Woolard, 1998)

• One nation, one language
• One variety chosen as standard, all the
• ther varieties considered as non-standard
• Ideological link between standard

language & national power

Introduction

Aim of this paper:

• Go beyond the simple dichotomy of

standard and non-standard language

• Reveal the ideological link between

non-standard variety and national power

Presentation:

• Sociolinguistic situation in HK
• The advertisement
• Analysis of the video production
• Analysis of metalinguistic comments

Background

Clear language hierarchy

• English, prestige due to the colonial

history

• Cantonese, non-standard status yet

used in offjcial capacities (such as the government’s offjcial speech & debates in Legislative Council)

• Putonghua, offjcial language at

national level

Background

Cantonese

• carries a local prestige
• is essential for immigrants to increase

their employability the Hong Kong case of a non-standard variety of the non-standard language is a unique phenomenon Focus: Non-standard variety spoken by female “new immigrants” who came after the Handover in 1997 for family reunion

The advertisement

Advertisement:

• “The Rap of T

amJai”

• produced by a local satirical online

TV channel TVMost

• for a local chained noodle shop

TamJai

The advertisement

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2 Q2BBNY7YI

• Fictional & real life situation
• Natural & unnatural language

Analysis of the video production

• The imagined “accented” Cantonese to the

imagined social group Examples of phonological variations between “standard” and “non-standard” Cantonese:

• 1. “lack” – 欠缺 [him3 kyut3] vs * 獻缺 [hin3 kyut3]
• 2. “server”– 侍應 [si6 jing3] vs * 侍燕 [si6 jin3]
• 3. “no change”– 不變 [bat1 bin3] vs * 巴變 [baa1 bin3]
• This type of written data, as mock standardisation,

contributes to the creation and reinforcement of a stereotype towards the new immigrants.

Analysis of the metalinguistic comments

• “orders of indexicality” of Silverstein (2003)
• indexicality is the phenomenon of a sign

pointing to (or indexing) some object in the context in which it occurs.

• The reference can shift from context to context
• 1. Indexical of pejorative evaluation:

“inaccurate” ( 唔正 ) “rubbish” ( 垃圾 ) “rural” ( 鄉 ) “not-salty-not-bland” ( 唔鹹唔淡 ) – not up to standard

Analysis of the metalinguistic comments

• 2. Indexical of “outsider”

“we natively born and raised” ( 我哋 土生土長 ), “Hong Konger” ( 香港人 ), “local” ( 本地 )

= self / standard

in contrast with “new immigrants” ( 新移 民 ),“mainlanders” ( 大陸人 ), “dama” ( 大媽 ) = other / non-standard

Analysis of the metalinguistic comments

• Negative evaluation based on social

factors : FB#13025 (…) 李嘉誠嚟咗香港幾十年，廣東話

都講唔正就得；大陸人努力工作唔攞綜援，廣東話 講唔正就唔得… (…)Li Ka-shing has come to Hong Kong for a few decades, speaks inaccurate Cantonese is okay; Mainlanders work hard and not depend on social welfare, speak inaccurate Cantonese is not okay…

Analysis of the metalinguistic comments

• 3. Indexical of China the national

power

• Indirect notions to refer to China

 “Central Communist government” ( 中共 ) ,  “mainland” ( 大陸 ) ,  “sad together party” ( 共慘黨 ) ,  “Shina” ( 支拿 )

Analysis of the metalinguistic comments

• Indexical of China the national power
• caused by incidences in Hong Kong

related to the Chinese government

• a sign of mainlandisation of Hong

Kong

• non-respect of the “one country, two

systems” principle

• driven from a bottom-up process by

the online comments of lay people

Conclusion

• The dichotomy of “standard” and “non-

standard” language is within the substandard level: “standard” and “non-standard” Cantonese

• Social stigmatisation depends more on social

factors instead of linguistic factors

• geographical overlapping fact of origin of new

immigrants and Chinese government has contributed to occurrence of non-standard language as an indexical of the national power, China