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Article: Languages and business: the Hong Kong mix.
- Article from:
- Business Communication Quarterly
- Article date:
- December 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Association for Business Communication. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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That English serves as an international language is largely the result of the spread of English worldwide during the age of the British empire. One notable example of this is Hong Kong, a major center for trade, with the third-largest port in the world. A colony of Britain's for over 150 years, Hong Kong has long used English as the primary language of government and commerce. Even now, English remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong. However, Cantonese - the native language of most Hong Kong people - predominates in the streets and in the lower echelons of business. And with the now completed transfer of sovereignty to China, Hong Kong residents expect Mandarin ...