English in Macau

Werner Botha, Andrew Moody

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As early as the mid-1980s the English language was already considered a significant language in Macau, since the territory was then experiencing rapid modernization. This chapter provides a description of the sociolinguistic context of Macau with an overview of the place of English in Macau society through official government censuses. It briefly describes the historical significance of the role that Macau played in the first contact between English traders seeking to trade with China in the early seventeenth century. The chapter presents an overview of the current status and functions of English in Macau society. The major functions of English in contemporary Macau include the uses of English within the domains of education, the media, international business, and tourism. The chapter also discusses the multilingual contexts of English use before considering the future prospects for the language in Macau.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Handbook of Asian Englishes
EditorsKingsley Bolton, Werner Botha, Andy Kirkpatrick
Place of PublicationNew Jersey
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc
Chapter22
Pages529-546
Number of pages18
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9781118791790, 9781118791653
ISBN (Print)9781118791806
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2020

Keywords

  • English
  • Macau
  • Sociolinguistic context
  • Tourism
  • English language
  • International business
  • Multilingual context
  • Macau society

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'English in Macau'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this