'I am not qualified to be a Honkongese because of my accented Cantonese': Mainland Chinese immigrant students in Hong Kong

'I am not qualified to be a Honkongese because of my accented Cantonese': Mainland Chinese immigrant students in Hong Kong

• Gu, Mingyue Michelle Research Centre into Language Acquisition and Education in Multilingual Societies (RCLEAMS), Hong Kong Institute of Education

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 32(6), 515-529, 2011

London

Routledge

2011

• F Learning & Teaching
  • FH Classroom Communication
• F Learning & Teaching
  • FE Medium of Instruction, Language of Teaching, Bi-& Multilingual Education, Problems of Bilingualism, Code-mixing & Code-switching
• N Students & Student Services
  • NO Minorities & Immigrant Students
• N Students & Student Services
  • NN Overseas Students in Hong Kong

English (Second Language) Chinese Languages Mandarin Chinese Immigrants Pupil Attitudes Language Usage Secondary School Pupils Secondary Education

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Secondary Education

This paper investigates the identity construction and language practice of a group of mainland Chinese immigrant students studying at a secondary school in Hong Kong, and explores the underlying reasons for, as well as the individual and group identities derived from, those language choices and practices. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the immigrant students and through observations in the school context, which focused on their views and attitudes concerning Putonghua maintenance, Cantonese and English learning and their perceptions of language ideologies in the school context. The marginalised position of Putonghua and its non-use in and out of classrooms reflects the social distinctions or language hierarchies found in the local school context. To resist the marginalised practice in the school context, the immigrant students employ their cultural and linguistic resources to establish and maintain Putonghua-speaking social networks and to imagine a proficient multilingual identity within the broader social context. The findings suggest that immigrant students should raise their awareness of language ideologies in the school context and recognise existing contradictions and discontinuities. It is also suggested that language ideologies could be incorporated into teachers' professional development.
[Copyright of Roeper Review is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2011.614350]

• English

Journal Articles

• 01434632

• 10.1080/01434632.2011.614350

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/c91084c7

2013-11-16