Hong Kong university students’ perceptions of their identities in English as a Lingua Franca contexts : an exploratory study
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Journal of Asian Pacific Communication
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Volume
24
Issue
1
First Page
94
Last Page
112
Keywords
identities; multicompetence; English as a lingua franca; Hong Kong; language and culture
Abstract
This paper presents findings from an exploratory study that investigated the perceptions of a group of Hong Kong university students concerning their identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) contexts. Qualitative data were collected primarily via in-depth interviews with a group of second-language speakers of ELF who use English with people from different first-language and cultural backgrounds on a regular basis. The analysis revealed that these participants came to terms with their identities as non-native speakers of English and emphasized the importance of maintaining their cultural identities as Hong Kong or Chinese speakers of ELF. In addition, most of them valued their ‘multicompetence’ in English, Cantonese and Putonghua when speaking English in ELF situations. The inquiry also found that some participants’ identification with other non-native speakers of English within the ELF community was rather selective and that different members within the ELF community were not perceived as equally ideal speakers of ELF. The study offers some valuable insights into the identities of ELF speakers and the wider ELF community within an Asian context.
DOI
10.1075/japc.24.1.06sun
Print ISSN
09576851
E-ISSN
15699838
Publisher Statement
Copyright © John Benjamins Publishing Company.
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Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Sung, C. C. M. (2014). Hong Kong university students’ perceptions of their identities in English as a Lingua Franca contexts: An exploratory study. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 24(1), 94-112. doi: 10.1075/japc.24.1.06sun