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This paper sets out to discuss creativity and world Englishes from a range of perspectives. It begins with a discussion of the changing face of English studies over recent decades, and then proceeds to discuss definitions of 'creativity' and 'bilingual creativity'. In the later sections of the paper, there is discussion of postcolonial literature and world fiction in English, with particular reference to the work of Timothy Mo. Finally, the implications of this discussion for contemporary English studies in Hong Kong are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by Schneider's (2007) innovative Dynamic Model, this paper traces the rise of English-knowing bilingualism in Hong Kong by analysing the authorship of 1,379 letters published in the city's leading English-language newspapers since the early 1840s. The evidence points to three main phases in the evolution of this community: 1840s-1910s, 1920s-1970s, 1980s-present. In the first phase, the bilingual segment of the Chinese community was apparently microscopic or, in the words of a colonial official, 'infinitesimal'. The second and third phases may be characterised as periods of spreading minority and majority bilingualism respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: One of the dominant themes of the literature on language in Hong Kong is the belief that English, particularly its spoken form, plays a limited role in the lives of the territory's mainly Cantonese-speaking Chinese community. For this reason, it is argued, there is no societal basis for the development of a nativised variety of English. One of the limitations of the case against Hong Kong English is that it is based on expert opinion rather than empirical evidence about the nature and extent of English use in the lives of Hong Kong bilinguals. This paper examines the results of a survey involving more than 2,000 English users in Hong Kong which sought to generate much-needed baseline data about patterns of language choice and use in one centrally important and hitherto overlooked domain: the professional workplace. The findings indicate that Hong Kong professionals spend a significant proportion of their working lives reading and writing English texts. Although Cantonese is the usual medium of oral communication, spoken English also plays an important role, particularly in formal situations. The findings also suggest that the need for English increases as a professional rises through the ranks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This paper is a review of the major works in code-switching in Hong Kong to date. Four context-specific motivations commonly found in the Hong Kong Chinese press -- euphemism, specificity, bilingual punning, and principle of economy -- are adduced to show that English is one of the important linguistic resources used by Chinese Hongkongers to fulfill a variety of well-defined communicative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]