Chinese financial texts in Hong Kong: A register analysis

Abstract

香港與內地的中文財經文本同為漢語撰寫,但相比之下,香港的中文財經文本文言色彩較濃,呈現出'近文言'的語體特色。此種特色在詞匯和語法方面均有體現。'近文言'語體成為目前香港財經寫作和翻譯的常用語體,與香港的語文教育、英文財經文本的行文風格及居民的用語習慣等因素有關。探究這些因素對了解香港和內地的中文語用差異及語言發展具有一定意義。

Although Chinese financial documents published in both Hong Kong and Mainland China are written in Chinese, the two regions exhibit different styles as far as the register of the written language is concerned. Specifically, more linguistic elements from classical Chinese are used in financial texts published in Hong Kong than those in Mainland China to create a hybrid register known as "quasi-classical Chinese", as instantiated in the choice of lexis and grammatical structure. Many factors have contributed to the use of quasi-classical Chinese in financial writing and translation in Hong Kong. An exploration of these factors can lead to a better understanding of the difference between the financial Chinese used in Hong Kong and that used in Mainland China.