Still business as usual? The use of English by language professionals across the government of Hong Kong

Abstract

This study provides a rare, updated and focused account of the use of English vis-a-vis Chinese in the public sector of Hong Kong by researching the language use, needs and challenges of a cohort of freshly employed Official Languages Officers working across the government of Hong Kong. Through a mixed-method approach incorporating results from a questionnaire survey, focus-group discussions and case studies, the study has identified the major languages used in governmental workplaces, the most common language-related tasks performed and the languages used for the tasks, and the challenges associated with the tasks. Findings from the present study show that while both Chinese and English are predominant in governmental workplaces, their patterns of use vary according to a number of factors, most notably mode, audience and task type. When performing communicative tasks, these language professionals encounter a diverse and varied range of challenges concerning field knowledge, linguistic competence and personality conflict which apply not only to English but also to Chinese. In sum, while the overall patterns of language use seem to suggest business as usual as it was reported before, there are subtle indications that the institutional and administrative role of English continues to decline in the city’s government.