Code-mixing is a common sociolinguistic phenomenon in Hong Kong, in which Hongkongers integrate English words into their host language (Cantonese) for more effective communication. This presentation explores the linguistic phenomena of and possible reasons for Cantonese-English code-switching and code-mixing in the government domain.
Earlier studies on practices of Cantonese-English code-mixing between university students in Hong Kong can be dated back to the late 1970s, which tend to focus on face-to-face interactions (Gibbons, 1979, 1983, 1987), but with the rapid proliferation of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in the past two decades, it has been observed that chat participants alternate, or switch between English and Cantonese in online chats such as WhatsApp, Telegram, MSN Messenger and Facebook Messengers or even ICQ (e.g. Lee, 2002, 2007a, 2007b). As Cantonese characters and Romanised forms of Cantonese words are often mixed into their online discourse where English is the dominant language, attention was gradually shifted to the emergence of such a mixed code-the English-Cantonese mixed code. However, such phenomenon can also be seen among Chinese Hongkongers beyond the education level, especially in instant-messaging (IM) communication. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the linguistic phenomena of Cantonese-English code-switching and code-mixing in an unexplored domain- the government sector. The findings suggest that, in plurilingual contexts like Hong Kong, it is an indispensable part to develop an English language pedagogy that recognizes the need for the constructive but judicious use of translanguaging and plurilingual practices as English learners are engaged in workplace communication.Keywords: code-switching, code-mixing, instant-messaging (IM) communication, translanguaging, plurilingual practices, English language pedagogy
