Why does he sound like a Hongkonger? Hong Kong English phonology

Summary

In this video, Sampson explores the unique characteristics of Hong Kong English, a tonal dialect influenced by Cantonese. He delves into the historical background of English in Hong Kong, its use in education, and the absence of a standard accent. Key linguistic features discussed include tone patterns, rhyme substitution, L vocalization, and the pronunciation of 'th' sounds. Sampson emphasizes the importance of communication over accent perfection, encouraging viewers to embrace their unique English accents as a means to connect with others.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The video discusses the unique characteristics of Hong Kong English, a dialect influenced by Cantonese and the region's history as a British colony.
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, which led to English being an administrative and higher education language alongside Cantonese.
• 👥 English and Chinese are the official languages of Hong Kong, with Cantonese being the native language for nearly 90% of the population and around 50% proficiency in English.
• 🏫 English education in Hong Kong starts from kindergarten, with a focus on English as a main subject, and continues through primary and secondary schools.
• 🏛️ There are two types of secondary schools in Hong Kong: EMI (English as a medium of instruction) and CMI (Chinese as a medium of instruction).
• 🎓 At the university level, English becomes the dominant teaching language due to the presence of international professors and students.
• 🗣️ Hong Kong English is primarily used in educational settings and is often spoken as a second language, with usage limited outside of school and work.
• 🎶 A distinctive feature of Hong Kong English is its tonal pattern, adapted from Cantonese, making it potentially the only tonal dialect of English.
• 🔊 Rhyme substitution is another feature where Hong Kong English speakers adjust English word endings to better fit Cantonese phonology.
• 🔤 'L vocalization' is pronounced as a vowel when it is a final consonant in Hong Kong English, influenced by the following vowel sound.
• 🗣️ The 'th' sounds in English are pronounced as 'f' for voiceless and 'd' for voiced in Hong Kong English, a feature also found in other English dialects like Cockney.
• 🌐 The video concludes with a reflection on the importance of accent in language learning, emphasizing communication over adherence to a 'standard' accent.

Q & A

What is the historical background of the Hong Kong English accent?

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, and English has been the administrative language and the language of higher education. After 1997, according to the Hong Kong Basic Law, Chinese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong.

Why does the Hong Kong English accent sound distinct?

The Hong Kong English accent is influenced by the Cantonese language, which is the native language of the majority of Hong Kong residents. This has led to the adaptation of English intonation and lexical tones, making it a tonal dialect of English.

What is the role of English in Hong Kong's education system?

English is a main subject from kindergarten, and it is used as a medium of instruction in some schools and universities. It is also the dominant teaching language in universities due to the presence of international professors and students.

How does the Cantonese language influence the pronunciation of Hong Kong English?

Cantonese, being a tonal language, has influenced the intonation of Hong Kong English. Additionally, final consonant deletion and vowel changes occur in Hong Kong English to conform better to Cantonese phonology.

What are the three main tones in Hong Kong English and how do they correspond to Cantonese tones?

The three main tones in Hong Kong English are high, mid, and low, which correspond to the first, sixth, and fourth tones in Cantonese, respectively.

How does the stress pattern affect the tone assignment in Hong Kong English?

In words with more than one syllable, the stressed syllable is assigned a high tone, syllables before it take a mid tone, and syllables after it take a low tone. For words with secondary stress, all syllables between the two stresses take a high tone.

What is 'rhyme substitution' in Hong Kong English, and how does it relate to Cantonese phonology?

Rhyme substitution in Hong Kong English involves changing the rhyme of English words to better conform to Cantonese phonology. This includes final consonant deletion and changes in vowel quality in words with diphthongs and final consonants.

How does the pronunciation of 'L' as a final consonant in Hong Kong English differ from standard English?

In Hong Kong English, the 'L' sound is pronounced as a vowel when it is a final consonant, and its exact pronunciation varies according to the vowel it follows.

What is 'th-fronting' and how does it affect the pronunciation of the 'th' sounds in Hong Kong English?

Th-fronting is the pronunciation of the voiceless 'th' sound as 'f' and the voiced 'th' sound as 'd' in Hong Kong English. This results in homophones such as 'three' and 'free' being pronounced the same.

What is the speaker's opinion on the importance of accent in language learning?

The speaker believes that the most important aspect of language learning is communication, and accent should not be a concern. Language is a tool for connecting people, and different accents should be embraced as part of the diversity in communication.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Introduction to Hong Kong English

The speaker, Sampson, introduces the topic of Hong Kong English, emphasizing its unique characteristics that can be identified through accent. He outlines his approach to discussing the background, linguistic features, and personal opinions on the accent. Hong Kong's history as a British colony until 1997 and the current bilingual environment are highlighted, with English being an administrative language and a medium of higher education. The video aims to explore how these factors have shaped the distinct features of Hong Kong English.

05:01

🎓 Education and Usage of Hong Kong English

This paragraph delves into the educational system in Hong Kong, where English is taught from a young age alongside Cantonese. It explains the two types of secondary schools: EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) and CMI (Chinese as a Medium of Instruction), with the former emphasizing English for most subjects. The paragraph also notes that Hong Kong English is primarily used in educational and official settings rather than as a daily communication language, leading to its use as a second language with limited exposure.

10:02

🌐 Accent Variations and Tonal Patterns

The speaker discusses the variations in Hong Kong English accents, noting that while they may differ, they adhere to certain standards that make them recognizable. The unique tonal pattern of Hong Kong English is explored, with Cantonese's influence on English intonation being a key feature. The explanation includes the assignment of high, mid, and low tones to syllables in words, affecting the pronunciation of multi-syllable words and how stress patterns influence tone assignment.

15:06

📚 Rhyme Substitution and Phonological Adaptations

This section examines the phonological adaptations in Hong Kong English, particularly the rhyme substitution influenced by Cantonese phonology. The speaker explains how final consonants are often deleted in words that have multiple, which is a feature not present in Cantonese. Examples are given to illustrate how certain consonants are dropped or altered, and how diphthongs and final consonants are adjusted to fit Cantonese syllable structures, leading to unique pronunciations of English words.

20:11

👥 Social Perceptions and the Value of Language

The final paragraph addresses social attitudes towards the Hong Kong English accent, mentioning a commercial featuring a local celebrity that sparked debate. Sampson reflects on the importance of language as a tool for communication rather than a measure of education or cultural affinity. He encourages embracing one's accent and using language to connect with others, dismissing the notion that adhering to a 'standard' accent is necessary for effective communication.

Keywords

💡Hong Kong English

Hong Kong English refers to the accent and linguistic features of the English language as spoken in Hong Kong. It is influenced by Cantonese, the dominant local language, and has unique tonal patterns and pronunciations. In the video, the speaker discusses how Hong Kong English is often used in educational and official settings but not commonly as a daily mode of communication, setting it apart from other English varieties like Indian English or Singaporean English.

💡Accent

An accent is a distinctive way of pronouncing a language, usually associated with a particular country, region, or social group. The video script highlights that the Hong Kong accent in English can reveal a person's origin, and it is a significant aspect of the Hong Kong English discussed throughout the video.

💡Tonal Language

A tonal language is one where the pitch or tone used in pronouncing a word changes its meaning. Cantonese, the native language of many in Hong Kong, is tonal. The video explains how this tonal aspect influences Hong Kong English, making it unique among English dialects by incorporating tonal patterns into English pronunciation.

💡Bilingual Environment

A bilingual environment is a setting where two languages are used and spoken by a community. Hong Kong is described as having a bilingual environment with Cantonese and English, which has led to the development of Hong Kong English. The video emphasizes the importance of this environment in shaping the linguistic features of Hong Kong English.

💡English as a Second Language (ESL)

ESL refers to the use or study of English by speakers whose native language is not English. The video mentions that most people in Hong Kong speak Hong Kong English as a second language, which influences its usage and the accents people adopt.

💡Rhyme Substitution

Rhyme substitution in the context of Hong Kong English refers to the adaptation of English word endings to conform to Cantonese phonology. This may involve changing the final consonants or vowels in words to make them sound more like Cantonese, as explained in the video with examples such as 'lamp' becoming 'lam'.

💡L Vocalization

L vocalization is a feature of Hong Kong English where the 'l' sound at the end of a word is pronounced as a vowel, depending on the following sound. This is discussed in the video as a way to make English pronunciations align more closely with Cantonese phonetics, with examples like 'tell' being pronounced as 'tail'.

💡Th Fronting

Th fronting is a pronunciation feature where the 'th' sounds in English are replaced with 'f' or 'v' sounds. This is common in certain English dialects and is also a characteristic of Hong Kong English, as mentioned in the video, where 'think' might be pronounced similar to 'fink'.

💡Homophones

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. The video script uses homophones to illustrate how certain pronunciation features of Hong Kong English, such as rhyme substitution and L vocalization, can lead to words that are distinct in standard English becoming homophones in Hong Kong English, such as 'right' and 'write'.

💡Language as a Tool for Communication

The video concludes with a discussion on the primary purpose of language being communication. It emphasizes that while accents like Hong Kong English might be criticized, the essence of language is to bring people together and facilitate understanding, rather than to serve as a marker of educational level or cultural sophistication.

Highlights

Introduction to Hong Kong English and its unique accent.

Hong Kong's history as a British colony until 1997 and the influence on its English accent.

Chinese and English as official languages in Hong Kong, with Cantonese being the dominant native language.

Bilingual education in Hong Kong, with English taught from kindergarten.

Differences between EMI and CMI schools in Hong Kong's education system.

The limited use of Hong Kong English as a second language in daily communication.

The tonal nature of Hong Kong English, influenced by Cantonese's tonal language.

Rules for assigning high, mid, and low tones to syllables in Hong Kong English.

Examples of tonal pronunciation in words like 'introduction' and 'communication'.

Pronunciation of single-syllable words in Hong Kong English with high or mid tones.

Rhyme substitution in Hong Kong English to conform to Cantonese phonology.

Final consonant deletion in words like 'lamp' and 'tasks' when spoken in Hong Kong English.

Vowel reduction and coda change in words ending in T or D in Hong Kong English.

L vocalization, where the L sound is pronounced as a vowel in final positions.

Pronunciation of the 'th' sounds in Hong Kong English, with 'th' fronting to an 'f' sound.

Personal opinion on the value of accent in language learning and communication.

Encouragement to embrace one's accent and focus on the communicative purpose of language.

Transcripts

hi this is Sampson today I'm gonna talk

about Hong Kong English so I will start

this video by speaking a bit of Hong

Kong English very often you can tell the

place of origin of someone by listening

to his English accent Hong Kong is no

exception so right now I'm speaking a

Hong Kong accident so I should sound

like your friends from Hong Kong but

what is a Hong Kong accent actually and

why it sounds like a Hong Kong accent

today I will answer these questions so

first I will introduce the background of

Hong Kong accent and then I will analyze

its linguistic features and finally I

will share some personal opinion about

Hong Kong accent let's have some

background information first hong kong

had been a british colony until 1997

while most of the people communicated in

Cantonese English have been the

administrative language and also the

language of higher education nowadays

according to the Hong Kong Basic Law

Chinese and English are the official

languages of Hong Kong however it

doesn't specify which spoken variety of

Chinese Mandarin or Cantonese is

official statistical data shows that

nearly 90% of the people in Hong Kong

speak Cantonese as their native language

and nearly 50% of the people are

proficient in English this bilingual

environment led to the emergence of Hong

Kong English English education begins

from kindergarten in Hong Kong most

kindergarten teach most subjects in

Cantonese but they also have English as

a main subject this is also true for

primary schools for secondary schools

there are two types of them depending on

their teaching language one of them is

called EMI schools which stands for

English as a medium of instruction in

EMI schools most subjects are taught in

English except a few such as the Chinese

language and the Chinese history the

other type is C M

my schools it stands for Chinese as a

medium of instruction as its name

suggests most subjects are taught in

Chinese language except for

english-language subject however again

it doesn't specify which variety of

Chinese Cantonese or Mandarin it is so

for me I studied in an EMI school so I

remembered the chemical elements in

English rather than Cantonese the

university's English becomes the

dominant teaching language it is because

there are many international professors

and students so for me I also worked in

an international company in Hong Kong so

I used to speak English at work too as I

just mentioned you may already notice

that Hong Kong English is mostly used as

schools and yes you're right so one

fundamental difference between Hong Kong

English and other English varieties such

as Indian English or a singaporean

english is that we don't speak Hong Kong

English as a daily way of communication

therefore most people speak it as a

Second Language and its usage is limited

so while most people write English for

their homework and official documents

you almost never see a film in Hong Kong

English usually people favor the British

or the American accent when they further

their English studies and as a result

there is no standard accent for Hong

Kong English when I worked in Hong Kong

I heard my colleagues speaking Hong Kong

English but when I carefully analyze

their accent I felt that all their

accents are different but they still

conform to a certain standard so it

sounds like Hong Kong English so in this

video I will introduce the features of

Hong Kong English some features are more

common meaning that if one demonstrates

this set of features is probably a Hong

Kong English speaker but some of the

features are less common even if one

doesn't show this feature he can still

be a Hong Kong English speaker in this

video I will only talk about

t-shirts that are exclusively found in

Hong Kong English but not in other

English varieties and I will talk about

them in the order of importance now

let's start looking at the features the

first feature is the mid high low tone

pattern since Cantonese is a tonal

language speakers adapted English

intonation zazz lexical tones

this makes Hong Kong English special

because it might be the only tonal

dialect of English I think this is the

most interesting feature of Hong Kong

English so I will spend more time

talking about it there are three main

toes high mid and low tones in Hong Kong

English they are pronounced like the

first sixth and the fourth tones in

Cantonese respectively now we take for

as an example syllable these three tones

are pronounced as fall fall fall

respectively the general rule is for

words with more than one syllable the

stressed syllable is assigned a high

tone syllables before it take a mid tone

and syllables after it take a low tone

for words with the second ray stress all

syllables between the two stresses take

a high tone let's listen to these words

in isolation introduction the syllable

top is stressed so it takes the high

tone the syllables intro is before that

so they have the mid tone the syllable

tion comes after the stressed syllable

so it takes the low tone communication

we have a secondary stress at the

syllable mute and the primary stress at

K therefore syllables between them have

a high tone the other syllables follow

the general rule

when the word is not the last word of an

utterance the loto syllables are changed

to the high tome so we have introduction

with the last syllable shun in the low

tone but introduction to English with

the same syllable in the high tone

single syllable words are trickier

usually nouns adjectives verbs and

question words take a high tone

prepositions connectives and auxiliary

verbs take a mid tone personal pronouns

such as I and you may take a high tone

or a mid tone depending on the situation

let's have some examples kit which is a

noun with a high tone but which is an

adjective with a high tone goal which is

a verb with a high tone fault which is a

numeral with a high tone but we have

fall which is a preposition with the mid

tone and which is a connective with the

mid tone we auxiliary verb with the mid

tone you may have noticed that the

number four and the preposition fall

have different tones these words are

homophone in many varieties of English

however for Hong Kong English speakers a

difference in terms means a difference

in pronunciation so they consider them

as words to be pronounced differently if

someone says the preposition fall in a

high tone it would be considered wrong

in other words it's correct to say fall

but if you say fall it will sound like

the number some other homophone is

distinguished by tones in Hong Kong

English are by as in to buy something

and buy as in by the way they are as in

there is a pop and they are as in their

computer

and finally we have the word when this

word has multiple meanings depending on

the situation and in Hong Kong English

we pronounce them differently depending

on their meaning so we have when as a

question word as in when is your

birthday and when as a connective

meaning at such time as in when I am

happy now let's look at this ambiguous

English sentence tell me when you go

home there are two ways to pronounce the

word when in Hong Kong English and they

result into two different meanings

the first is tell me when you go home

here when is in the heighth home so it

is a question word therefore the

sentence means tell me the time that you

go home you can expect the answer to be

9 o'clock

the second is tell me when you go home

notice that when is in the mid tone so

it is a connective the whole sentence

means tell me at the moment you go home

then the other person will likely answer

with yes I will tell you

now we have shown that Hong Kong English

is a tonal language it can even

distinguish mobile phones in

international English and even ambiguous

sentences the second feature requires

more technical knowledge to explain I

would call it rhyme substitution in

general Hong Kong English speakers often

change the rhyme of English words so

that it conforms better to the Cantonese

phonology all right

I know it still sounds very vague right

now in order to make it clear I will

divide this feature into two types and

give examples for each of them type one

final consonant deletion in Cantonese

there can be at most one final consonant

in a syllable English words can contain

more final consonants as in the word

lamp in which you have M and P and the

word tasks in which you have s K s when

Hong Kong English speakers say these

words they delete some final consonants

for example passed with the final T

sound to lead it bang with the final

case alt delete it fact with the final T

sound

deleted however words like tense and

tacks are pronounced with all final

consonants so they will be pronounced as

pans and texts in Hong Kong English so

this rule doesn't always apply in fact

this rule only deletes plosive

consonants p t-- k b d and g that do not

immediately follow the vowel for example

in the word tax pronounced as text in

Hong Kong English the K sound is not

deleted because it mmediately follows

the vowel and the second type of this

feature is

the plus final consonant reduction or a

substitution a diphthong means a

sequence of two vowels for example I is

a diphthong because it is a sequence of

the simple vows R and E together they

are I there is a change of the quality

of vowel some words with diphthongs in

English our guy Mae and lo Cantonese has

diphthongs too as in the words guide may

know in English there are syllables that

contain a diphthong and final consonants

as in rain like and sound this syllable

structure doesn't exist in Cantonese so

Hong Kong English speakers use different

strategies to pronounce this type of

words let's see how they are pronounced

in Hong Kong English for worse ending in

T or D we have late as late light as

light height as high loud as Lao usually

the final consonant is simply deleted

however the same rule doesn't always

apply even for the same rhyme so we have

load pronounced as low with the D

deleted but we have code pronounced as

cope which has undergone vowel reduction

and coda change it changes the final

consonant from D to K so it has become

homophonous with the word cook as in

cooking load and code rhyme in most

english accents but not in the Hong Kong

accent also the word coat is pronounced

as coal which is quite different from

code as mentioned above now we take a

look at

words ending in K we have cake

pronounced as kick which is undergone

vowel reduction we have like pronounced

as light or light both are acceptable by

Hong Kong English speakers and in this

case the K is simply deleted

we have Koch pronounced as Koch which is

homophone s with the word cook as in

cooking and the word coat as mentioned

before as compared to T or D words of

this type tend to reduce the diphthong

into a single vowel rather than deleting

the final consonant here are words

having final nasal sounds so we start

with words having n as one of the final

consonants we have rain pronounced as

rain which is homophone as with the word

ring as in wedding rain and we have

sound pronounced as Sun lo pronounced as

long but the word fine is unchanged it's

pronounced as fine the word line can be

pronounced as line or light which is

summer phonus with lie as in to tell a

lie finally we have point pronounced as

pawn which is homophone as with never

mind forget about it the word time can

be pronounced as time or palm both are

acceptable and the word game usually

it's pronounced as game and home

pronounced as home as we've seen from

the examples even though the different

nasal cells can undergo very different

changes the nasal quality of the final

consonants is usually kept forwards and

the

fricative sounds like s and F this rule

never applies for example words like

bass and life are unaffected by the rule

there is an interesting consequence of

this feature we can see it in the words

right and right in standard English this

pair of words is distinguished by the

final consonants T and D however the

vowel in right is phonetically shorter

than that in right even though it

doesn't causes distinction to standard

English speakers say it many times and

you will realize that right right right

right right right

remember that in Hong Kong English

speakers delete the final TD sounds in

this case then how are the words right

and right pronounced they are right and

right respectively with different vowels

but the final consonants are lost so

here you see in standard English this

pair of words are distinguished by the

different final consonants but in Hong

Kong English they are distinguished by

the different vowels now let's move on

to the next feature the third feature is

called L vocalization specifically the L

sound is pronounced as a vowel when it

is a final consonant its exact

pronunciation varies according to the

vowel it follows let's hear some example

words in these words the L sound is

pronounced as ooh so we have tell

pronounced as tail till pronounced as

till girl pronounced as go

the final L is not pronounced when

following a back rounded vowel for

example we have tall as poor tool as to

which is home opponents with the number

two we have goal pronounced as goal

which is homophone us with the verb to

go and an extra syllable is added when

following a diphthong ending in e for

example tail is pronounced as pay o tile

is pronounced as pi o boil is pronounced

as boil the syllabic L sound has the

same pronunciation as in this case so we

have people pronounced as people I've

noticed that this feature also exists in

Portuguese so the spelling L is

sometimes pronounced as an O in the same

way but I don't know if it also exists

in the Portuguese accent of English if

you speak Portuguese please tell me

about that the fourth feature is the

pronunciations of the th cells there are

two different th cells in English namely

the voiceless th as in the word thing

and the voiced th as in the word this

in Hong Kong English the voiceless th

sound is pronounced as same as the

letter F this feature is called th

fronting and is found in many Seldon

English dialect such as the cockney

accent some homophone espares are

produced by this feature so we have

three and three both pronounced as free

in Hong Kong English

thin thin both pronounced as Fein Thor

for both pronounced as fall for the

voiced th selves it is pronounced as

same as the letter D so the words this

and father are pronounced as peace and

father respectively some homophone as

pairs produced by this feature are those

and those both are pronounced as both

they and they both as they they're

they're both as they are

if the voiced th sound is at the end of

the morpheme it is pronounced as the

letter F like the voiceless th sound as

mentioned above so we have breathe

pronounced as brief breathing pronounced

as breathing

of course there are many other features

of Hong Kong English but unfortunately

we don't have enough time to go through

all of them if you like Hong Kong

English I can make more videos to talk

about other features I'm gonna wrap up

this video by sharing some of my

personal opinions about Hong Kong

English recently there is a commercial

in which the Hong Kong celebrity William

Chan speaks English

so this commercial has received lots of

different comments and some people

criticized on his English accent I think

this is just one example to show the

attitude of people towards the Hong Kong

English accent in Hong Kong people tend

to think that the level of English

correlates to the level of education and

speaking of British or American accent

means better English so some people feel

ashamed of their English accent think

about why you learn a language did you

learn it just for passing the exam or

did you learn it for watching dramas

without subtitles after all it's about

communication it brings different people

together when you meet people from

different countries everyone speaks in a

different accent therefore the most

important thing is that you get to know

more about each other through speaking

English and accent is not what your

concern about of course different people

have different reasons to learn English

if one really likes the British culture

he can learn the RP accent and try to

perfect it but in most cases it is

definitely not a must to stick to the so

called British or American accents

language is a tool to connect different

people it is way more than just an exam

to show how educated you are so whenever

someone laughs at your accent

remember this message and don't get

discouraged that's the end of the video

hope you guys enjoy it and see you in

the next episode