Hong Kong Cantonese TV talk shows: When code-switching manifests as impoliteness
Cher LengLee and DaoningZhu
National University of Singapore
Abstract
This study examines how impoliteness is carried out through code-switching in the Hong Kong Cantonese television
talk show Sze U Tonight. Hong Kong is a modern and globalised Chinese society with a colonial background and is
currently part of China. This unique combination makes the norms that govern code-switching and impoliteness in talk shows worth
exploring. It is interesting to examine how the Hong Kong people express themselves through their language choices, especially
when this is put in the media for public viewing, situated in the context of semi-institutional conversations on a Hong Kong
television talk show. Using Spencer-Oatey’s (2002, 2008) rapport management framework, this paper discusses the forms and functions of code-switching that manifest as
impoliteness in the media of a multilingual Chinese society.
Although Chinese impoliteness has become a popular research topic (Kádár and Pan
2012), research in this area still lacks discussion in different Chinese contexts. Code-switching (CS) is a common
linguistic phenomenon in multilingual Hong Kong (HK). CS in TV media, including TV talk shows, is of great research value. The CS data
from a HK Cantonese TV talk show used in this study will enhance our understanding of impoliteness in different Chinese speech
communities, shedding light on this cross-cultural and cross-linguistic phenomenon.
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