Hong Kong English Dictionary

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

Hong Kong English Dictionary documents vocabulary, word senses, and spelling variants that are particular to Hong Kong English (HKE), linking linguistic forms to Hong Kong’s colonial history, sociocultural and political environment, and the dominant local language, Cantonese. Entries range from formal to informal registers and emphasize items with a specific Hong Kong reference while excluding general senses shared across English varieties. Usage is supported through authentic text examples drawn from newspapers, literature, government information, everyday speech, cartoons, and Hong Kong internet sources, and the book includes reference features such as pronunciation guidance, acronym lists, maps, and cultural conceptualizations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

English in Hong Kong

A Guide to Pronunciation

References and Suggested Further Readings

A Guide to Frequency

Common Acronyms and Abbreviations

Hong Kong English Dictionary

Appendices

Patrick J. Cummings and Hans-Georg Wolf Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centre 7 Tin Wan Praya Road Aberdeen Hong Kong [www.hkupress.org](www.hkupress.org) © Hong Kong University Press 2011 ISBN 978-988-8083-30-5 All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue copy for this book is available from the British Library. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound by Condor Production Company Limited in Hong Kong, China Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction x English in Hong Kong xiv A Guide to Pronunciation xix References and Suggested Further Readings xxii A Guide to Frequency xxiv Common Acronyms and Abbreviations xxvi Hong Kong English Dictionary 1 Appendices Cultural Conceptualizations 203 Name Changes in Hong Kong and 206 Neighboring Asia Hong Kong English Words Now Used 217 Internationally Sources for the Text Examples 221 Maps 277 Introduction This dictionary is the first of its kind, in more than one way. Despite the fact that established and identifiable second-language varieties of English exist around the world, respective variety-speciﬁc dictionaries are still rare. As to Hong Kong English (HKE), apart from short lists of HKE words (Bolton 2002), no other compendium of HKE vocabulary has so far been written. The exact status of HKE may still be a matter of debate among linguists and the informed public, yet what is indisputable is the unique character of HKE . This character has been shaped by Hong Kong’s (colonial) history, its socio-cultural and political environment, and, most of all, the language that is predominantly spoken there, Cantonese. The entries in this dictionary, ranging from the sacred to the profane, in many ways reﬂect the linguistic, historical, cultural, and political situation of Hong Kong. At the same time, this reference work is a further step towards legitimizing HKE as an independent variety of English. What is, what is not included in this dictionary? First of all, only words and word senses that are particular to HKE or have a speciﬁc reference to Hong Kong are listed. To take the example of astronaut , the general sense of “a person traveling or working in space,” common to all varieties of English, is not considered, but only the sense specific to HKE,“a (male) person working abroad and living apart from his family.”“Particular” does not mean “exclusive.” In other words, although most of the words and sensesin this dictionary are specific to HKE, we do not claim that none of the items can occur or be used in a similar way in another variety. If that should be the case, they are most likely to be found in other varieties of Asian English. A case in point is the HKE word shroff, which comes from Indian English, and is still used in Indian English and Sri Lankan English. Some items that are part of the “common core” of English, such as crossed cheque or triad have been included, because they are used far more frequently in HKE than in other varieties and this use is indicative of a sociocultural salience. Crossed cheque , for example, occurs eight times in the Hong Kong component of the International Corpus of English, but is not found in the British English component. We have also included some archaic items, such as chopped dollar or chop boat , which are no longer part of common usage, but can still be found in some historical contexts. The entries come from a variety of sources: e.g. , English-language newspapers based in Hong Kong, especially the South China Morning Post and The Standard; cartoons and literary works by such authors as Larry Feign and Nury Vittachi; government information published in Hong Kong; student essays, spoken lang

FAQs

What kinds of words and senses does the dictionary include?

It lists only words and word senses particular to Hong Kong English or with a specific reference to Hong Kong. General senses shared across English varieties are excluded unless a Hong Kong-specific sense applies.

How does the dictionary handle variation and spelling variants?

Each entry, sense, and spelling variant is provided with an authentic text example to show usage and context. Spelling variants that differ too far from the main entry may be listed as separate entries with cross-references.

What sources are used for the text examples and entry evidence?

Examples come from Hong Kong-based English-language newspapers (notably the South China Morning Post and The Standard), cartoons and literary works, government information, student essays and everyday spoken language on TV and in the streets, and Hong Kong internet websites.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore