Code Switching and Language Choice in the Hong Kong Legislative Council

• Autores: Frances Man-siu Yau
• Localización: Journal of multilingual and multicultural development, ISSN 0143-4632, Vol. 18, Nº. 1, 1997, págs. 40-53
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This paper investigates the language choice and code switching behaviour of the councillors and officials in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong during 1991 1995. This period provides interesting data for investigation because it is set in a context where with the upcoming transfer of sovereignty in 1997 and the injection of the first batch of directly elected members into the Council, the old power relationship is unstable and the conventional code-norm open to challenge. The referees who used to exert influence on the speaker have lost their importance. It is argued that this change in power relationship between the referee, the addressee and the speaker results in the selection of new code choice by the councillors and officials. Code switching behaviour is also part of the negotiation process for a new code-norm.