In Hong Kong, such an international city accommodating people of different nationalities, English serves as a lingua franca and a dominant language other than Cantonese.

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During the colonial period, English was the sole official language in Hong Kong until 1970s. In other words, it was the only language in the government administration, legislature and judiciary. It had a more superior status over Cantonese, the language/dialect spoken by the ruled Hong Kong people. However, its prestige in the society has been unshakable. After the Hong Kong’s Handover to the People’s Republic China in 1997, English remains its place as one of the official languages. It is still a language widely used in commercial activities and legal affairs. A good command of English is always expected in different workplace. People usually stand out from the crowd with genuine proficiency in English so as to obtain a desirable job more easily.























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Its instrumental value is also recognized by our Filipino interviewees. All of the residential Filipinos similarly working in the catering industry would use English in the workplace. English is the common language shared by their colleagues and customers from different countries.  

Nicole, who has lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, does not know any Cantonese. She has no intention to learn Cantonese as knowing English is already good enough for her working and social purposes. Her fluency in English enables her to work as a bar captain, to communicate with the customers, surrounding residents, who are likely to be more educated, of the bar in mid-levels, as well as her Australian boyfriend competently. English as her linguistic capital can be utilized at work for communication purpose.

Louie, a Filipino born in Hong Kong but has stayed here only since 2007. As a bartender, he talks to the customers and sometimes his friends in English. He has made many friends while going to the church in North Point. English, a lingua franca, is applied to the communication among the congregation of diversified nationalities. English becomes a powerful tool for Louie to maintain and expand his social network.

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For the Filipino domestic helpers, having a communicative level of English is the basic requirement to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong.

Layla points out that proficiency in English equips themselves for dealing with the employment agency. She thinks that English is as important as Cantonese in the society. Also, (Census and Statistics Department, 2011) 83.5% of the Filipinos usually speak English at home though 80.7% of the Filipinos can speak Tagalog. This can be explained by the situation that over 90% of the Filipinos in Hong Kong are domestic helpers and English is the usual language for them to communicate with their employers (CSD, 2011). 

Notably, there is an increasing  trend that domestic helpers are requested by the employers to speak English to the kids at home.  Lisa has to speak English with the 3 year-old kid while the parents usually speak Cantonese with the kid. They prefer Lisa to act as an English tutor to teach the kid some Basic English. Not only is her ability in doing household chores expected, but also her language abilities in English. Lisa’s linguistic capital (knowledge of English) helps her to meet employer’s satisfaction and secure her job.