The Cohort Effect of Political Change on Language Speaking: Evidence from Hong Kong

Speaker: ZHOU Yonghong, Associate Professor, Jinan University

Time: 10:00-11:30

Tecent Meeting ID: 900 976 551

Abstract:

It has been proven that language is a symbol of culture and politics. This study investigates the cohort effect of the Hong Kong's handover on the language speaking in adulthood based on the 2006 and 2011 Hong Kong population censuses. We find that Mandarin is more likely to be used by Hong Kong natives who were exposed to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 during their school-age years, especially for the generation that were exposed during their primary-school years. Besides, the Hong Kong natives who experienced the handover in their school-age years insist on speaking Mandarin even when the political environment changes from the year 2006 to 2011. Our evidences reveal that political change that occurs during school-age years has a long-term impact on an individual's behavior in their later adulthood. Further discussion implies that exposure to political change such as regime transfer during school-age years impacts individual's national identity.