The application of vocabulary of “Hong Kong styled Chinese” = 港式中文詞匯應用問題

Abstract

 Most scholars in the past regard “Hong Kong styled Chinese”（港式中文）as a negative linguistic phenomenon but they have rarely addressed the issue of the vocabulary application. Thus, this research is a comprehensive study evaluating the application of vocabulary of “Hong Kong styled Chinese”. After analyzing the vocabulary, it will discuss its application values and limitations. Besides, a normative standard for “Hong Kong-styled Chinese” will be established. This thesis consists of five chapters, inclusive of an introduction and a conclusion. In Chapter Two, we collect some examples of the vocabulary of “Hong Kong styled Chinese” in Hong Kong newspapers and magazines. We analyze the types and characteristics of its dialect word, ancient words, community words and foreign words. Then in Chapter Three we discover that it is not appropriate to put the normative standard of modern Chinese vocabulary on the “Hong Kong-styled Chinese” vocabulary. Therefore, we establish a normative standard for it. This standard allows Hong Kong people to have more room to play in writing and they can use some words with local characteristics. However, establishing the normative standard is totally not enough. The scholars of Hong Kong should compile a “Hong Kong-styled Chinese” dictionary. This authoritative dictionary not only allows Hong Kong people to have a definitive reference when using the vocabularies, but also allows Chinese-speaking users in other regions to have a reference. Chapter Four further analyzes that the vocabulary of “Hong Kong-styled Chinese” has an indelible value in application. It enriches the library of words in modern Chinese and makes it simpler. As for the application restrictions, some of the “Hong Kong-styled Chinese” vocabulary may hinder the communication of language and is more likely to reduce its cultural quality.