Language policy of Xianggang - dynamics, trends and main development strategy

Over the past 20 years, the language situation of Xianggang, which has emerged as a result of the decolonization from Britain and the return to China, is closely related to the issue of Xianggang’s self-determination and the use of language as a reflection of the main self-identification trends. The present work is an attempt to contextualize the situation of language discourse of Xianggang identifying the nuances of different languages (Cantonese dialect of Chinese, English, and Putonghua) coexisting and functioning altogether. The problem of introduction and dissemination of the Beijing language standard in Xianggang is analyzed as a part of Chinese “soft power”, and the problem of identification of Xiangagans via language as a sociocultural factor is discussed in this context as well. The paper studies tendencies of the language discourse in the observed territory through the language policy pursued by the government of Xiangang, and raises the question of the role of language in preserving cultural identity. The study showed that the main functioning languages in Xianggang - Putonghua, Cantonese, and English - are not used equally and tend to change in frequency of utilization over time. The results of the study make it possible to assess the complexities of linguistic relativity of Xianggang and contemplate how the future of these languages and their interrelation holds in the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.