Consonant cluster variations in Hong Kong English : an attitudinal study

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed the emergence of new varieties of English, which call into question ‘native’ speakers’ long-standing ownership of the language. Growing evidence suggests the linguistic systematicity and acceptance of Hong Kong English (HKE), though its legitimacy and status remain controversial. Despite substantial phonological and attitudinal literature, research to date tends to be devoted to feature identification and attitudes to HKE as a monolithic variety. The relationship between these two strands of research has been under-explored.

This study examined the impact of consonant cluster variations (CCVs) on Hong Kong university students’ attitudes to HKE, and factors shaping their attitudes. The CCVs investigated include word-initial (e.g., broadly [ˈbrɔːd̚.liː] as [ˈblɔːd̚.liː]) and word-final ones (e.g., important [ɪmˈpɒ.tənt] as [ɪmˈpɒ.tən]). Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study involved the matched-guise technique (MGT), survey, and semi-structured interviews. The MGT explored perception of HKE in terms of (1) status and solidarity, (2) understandability, (3) suitability as a teaching model, and (4) contextual appropriateness. The MGT participants were 354 students from an English-medium university in Hong Kong with Cantonese as their first language (L1). They rated four speech samples recorded by a HKE speaker reading the same English passage, varying in the presence/absence and positions of CCVs. Among the MGT participants, 340 were involved in the survey that followed, the objective of which was to further investigate the role of CCVs in attitudes to HKE. Follow-up semi-structured interviews with 31 students explored the factors shaping their attitudes.

HKE speakers using more CCVs were perceived as having a lower social status and were viewed less favourably than those using fewer CCVs. Word-initial CCVs led to more negative perception of HKE speakers than word-final ones, which could be explained by (1) the perceptual salience of word-initial CCVs, (2) the distinctiveness of onsets vis-à-vis codas, and (3) the scarcity of word-initial CCVs among L1 English speakers. Contextual variations existed as to when CCVs are appropriate and to what extent. In addition to understandability, speakers’ role, formality of contexts, and social expectations played a role in how CCVs were perceived. Both word-initial and word-final CCVs were viewed significantly more negatively by females than males, suggesting that females tend to show stronger alignment with more ‘standard’ pronunciation and/or display higher metalinguistic awareness of the use of CCVs.

The findings provide both conceptual and pedagogical insights. Conceptually, the study attempts to reconceptualise the construct ‘attitudes to HKE’ by positioning the variety on a continuum. In other words, in studying speakers’ attitudes to HKE, one should consider the variation within HKE, in terms of factors such as contextual appropriateness and impact on understandability and perception of speakers. Pedagogically, teachers should consider the contexts where students’ CCVs occur when deciding whether they can be accepted. The idea of HKE being on a continuum implies that features such as CCVs should not be automatically considered mistakes, and points to the potential need to reformulate the grading of oral assessments in Hong Kong.

Keywords: Hong Kong English, language attitudes, gendered attitudes, consonant clusters