The role of L2 WTC and accommodative encounters with locals in Mainland Chinese students’ sociocultural adaptation to Hong Kong

Abstract

It remains unclear what role language use and communication with locals play in Mainland Chinese students’ (MCSs’) sociocultural adaptation to Hong Kong. To address this gap, the present study took a language and social psychology approach by invoking Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) and Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language (L2 WTC). Survey data were collected from 372 MCSs. A path analysis model delineated the relationships between MCSs’ Cantonese confidence, Cantonese WTC, accommodative encounters and contact with locals, and their sociocultural adaptation. The follow-up multiple regression analysis examined the paths between accommodative encounters and the variables they directly predicted (i.e. Cantonese confidence and quality of contact). The results revealed that among the CAT strategies of interpretability, discourse management, interpersonal control, and emotional expression, emotional expression carries the most weight in predicting Cantonese confidence and quality of contact. The findings offer fresh theoretical insights and valuable practical implications.