Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What kind of dictionary should Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary be positioned as?

A: It should serve as a supplement to learning Cantonese in the traditional classroom setting, especially in Hong Kong where code-mixing is very common in daily conversation. You can view this dictionary as “where textbook Cantonese meets Hong Kong everyday life”. In fact, it is also made for foreigners who want to know about the language culture of Hong Kong before they decide to learn Cantonese.

Q: Is this dictionary trying to justify the usage of English words in Hong Kong Cantonese?

A: The main reason why this dictionary exists is because code-mixing has long been viewed as negative, such as foreigners seeing it as pretentious and educators thinking it has an impact on language development. Even though the dictionary seeks to explain the nuances in Cantonese-English code-mixing, its role is to serve as a descriptive dictionary where the actual language usage is being described from real world examples, rather than coming to a conclusion as to whether a certain language usage is right or wrong.

Q: To what extent should I trust the definitions in this dictionary?

A: Even though one can say this dictionary is crowdsourced from users’ submissions, the reality is that the meaning of words and phrases can be very dependent on a number of factors such as the context, the speaker’s language background, social class, experience and even mood, so it may be best for the individual to explain their own language usage. In addition, this dictionary emphasizes the collection of real-world language examples by attaching references to word definitions, in order to show that it is a living, breathing resource for language learners.

Q: Why do I see so many English usages that seem improper?

A: In linguistics, all languages are equal. As long as a language is used by a large number of users, the language can become nativized into a distinct variety. While foreigners may see certain English usages as lazy, improper or even label them as Chinglish, this dictionary aims to reframe this as a type of English that is only understandable within the local community, especially where English is mixed into Cantonese and is only used when the speaker is primarily speaking in Cantonese.

Q: I understand what this dictionary is trying to do, but can I still say that code-mixing is pretentious sometimes?

A: Yes, absolutely! In fact, there is already a well-known type of code-mixing called the “Fake ABC (American Born Chinese)”, which is popular among some Hong Kong celebrities. However, you should also provide a definition to explain why the person sounds pretentious in an example, such as stressing the ‘r’ sound in English because it is often seen as prestigious in native English. Moreover, reference links should be included if possible so that people will know that it is based on some evidence.

Q: Is there always an explanation as to why Hong Kongers prefer to use English over Cantonese in a conversation?

A: Since linguistics is a science, everything should be able to be broken down to the smallest unit. At times, it may be difficult to find the nuance in language usage between English and Cantonese, but this is exactly what this dictionary aims to do in order to show that code-mixing is not random.

Q: Who is really the target audience of this dictionary?

A: Even though this dictionary aims to help foreigners understand the English usage in Hong Kong Cantonese, it needs people to support the idea of a mixed language by submitting their own word definitions. In fact, only the Hong Kong people who are bilingually proficient may know how to explain their own language usage well enough, which makes this dictionary not so easy to build. However, anyone can still submit examples as long as they support the existence of a mixed language.