ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the question(s) of language and identity against a backdrop of politics among the first generation of postcolonial Hong Kongers, millennials largely born after 1997, when after 145 years of British colonial rule, Hong Kong was handed over to the People’s Republic of China. It focuses on questions about the status of English – the colonial language imposed on Hong Kong by Britain starting in 1842 – as well as Cantonese, the regional variety of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong. The book examines the status of English – whether it has become a language of – in contrast to language in – Hong Kong, and whether, and for whom, it serves as a marker of a Hong Kong identity, particularly in contrast to a mainland Chinese identity.