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About this project: This fieldwork project is part of the course LCOM3001 Cultural dimensions of language and communication, instructed and supervised by Dr. Lisa Lim, School of English, the University of Hong Kong. Focusing on the speakers and cultures involved in language and communication, this investigative fieldwork in the Guangxi Hakka speech communities in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, offers an understanding of the complexities of contemporary social and political issues of language and communication in the context of globalisation and rapid urbanisation of the rural area under investigation. Should you have any queries about the project, feel free to contact us via the below email addresses. 

Course Lecturer & Project Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Lim

Investigators:

Ken Mong Ka Yin (kenmong@hku.hk)

Vanus Tam Wai Ying (vanustam@hku.hk)

Emmy Tang Wing Yan (thisiswingyan@gmail.com)

Hannah Kung Wai Han (kungwaihan@gmail.com)



 

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Welcome to the Minority of minority website! We are a group of HKU undergraduates. We will bring you to a small Hakka village in Hong Kong Tuen Mun – Tsing Shan Tsuen. We believe you will definitely find this website engaging if you are interested in Hong Kong minority languages. Because our project looks at Guangxi Hakka which is the minority variety of the minority Hakka dialect in Hong Kong! Let’s take a brief village tour first!

Geography



The Tsung Shan Tsuen (青山村) is located at the west of the Tsing Shan Tsuen Stop. You can go there by Hong Kong light railway 610, 615, or 615P. The village is surrounded by some industrial buildings, government schools, temples and monasteries.



Population

Around only 20 people live there currently. They came from Guangxi during the past century. A family of one of the researchers in this project has been living in this village for three generations. Her grandma migrated to Hong Kong in the 1910s.

How people live there?

Villagers are as MODERN as you and I are! They work in Central, chat with their children in Whatsapp, upload self-portrait photos to Facebook, go to Ocean Park and Disneyland for a happy holiday.

BUT they are also as TRADITIONAL as you could expect for a Hakka tribe! For example, they burst crackers at Lunar New Year’s Day, cook a big bowl feast for Winter Solstice, and worship the god in monasteries.





Why interesting?



Our research group found an interesting initial observation. The Hakka villagers in this study do not use Hakka any longer. We notice that some villagers even hate Hakka language and they love Cantonese so much. It is surprising because most Hakka speakers in other villages in Hong Kong Yuen Long and the New Territories are still active users of Hakka.

We base our research project on this known language shift and try to look for reasons why this language shift has happened.




Reference:

Liu, Z. (2004). Xianggang yuan ju min ke yu: Yi ge xiao shi zhong de sheng yin. Xianggang: Xianggang Zhongguo yu wen xue hui.

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