2016-09-15

This study builds on the detailed empirical research of the three investigators, who have been collaborating on researching the Hong Kong linguistic situation since the early 1980s. This research utilises social survey methodology to investigate which languages are used within the community. In more technical terms, this has involved carrying out ‘sociolinguistic surveys’ (surveys of languages in society) to investigate which languages are learnt, and which are used, by whom to whom, across a range of settings (or ‘domains’) in Hong Kong society. Previously, three such surveys have been conducted, in 1983, 1993, and 2003. The 1983 sociolinguistic survey used face- to-face interviews with a total of 1240 respondents (Bolton and Luke 1999). This was followed, in 1993 and 2003, by two telephone surveys conducted by the Social Sciences Research Centre of The University of Hong Kong, where a total of 886 respondents were interviewed in the 1993 survey, and 1060 in the 2003 (Bacon-Shone and Bolton 1998, 2008). One broad aim of all three surveys was to describe patterns of language acquisition, language use, and attitudes to language policies in Hong Kong. This study carried out a sociolinguistic survey of Hong Kong in 2014 together with detailed reanalysis of the 2011 census data across the 18 districts and 412 constituency areas, which yields useful and applicable results relating to ethnic/linguistic minorities, multilingualism, multiculturalism, and language planning, of direct interest to public policy in Hong Kong. It also calibrates for the first time, using expert assessment, self- reported claims of proficiency in oral English and Putonghua and written English and simplified Chinese. 摘要 此研究項目的三名負責人自一九八零年代開始對香港語言情況進行實證研究。研究以社會科學調查方法為基礎，對香港社會上不同的語言和方言進行深入細緻的社會語言調查。調查的目的在揭示各語言在不同社會領域中發揮怎樣的功能和作用。研究隊伍自一九八三年起，每隔十年進行資料收集，至今已經完成了三次大規模的社會語言調查（1983，1993，2003）。第一次調查（1983）以面對面的問卷調查方式，對1240名市民進行了研究（Bolton and Luke 1999）。第二及第三次調查，改為以電話訪問的方式，分別對886名及1060名市民進行研究（Bacon-Shone and Bolton 1998，2008）。三次調查研究取得大量數據，對語文學習、語文應用、以及市民對語言政策的態度等方面作出了具體而深入的分析。本研究計劃的提出，旨在繼前三次研究工作後，在2014年進行第四次社會語言調查，與2011年人口普查數據（覆蓋全港18區及412選區）作進一步詳細分析。這將對少數族裔/語言、多種語言、多元文化和語言規劃提供實證的基礎，並有利於香港的公共政策。本次研究還首次以綜合專家評估，並透過受訪者自我報告對英文口語、普通話、書寫英文和簡體中文的熟練程度來作檢定。

Bacon-Shone, J, Bolton, K, Luke, KK. (2016). Data from LANGUAGE USE, PROFICIENCY AND ATTITUDES IN HONG KONG. (Dataset) The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.

The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR

languages

hong kong

language attitudes

language competence