Abstract
Wakefield describes English loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese, explaining how their meanings have changed from what they originally were in English. He presents in detail a number of fascinating examples, such as the adjective ku1, which was borrowed from English’s “cool.” This word is typically used as a compliment in English to describe someone or something as fashionably attractive, while the borrowed version ku1 has a pejorative meaning, describing a person as distant or unfriendly. Another example is the loanword hep1pi2 (“happy”), which is an adjective that can additionally be used as a verb in Cantonese, meaning to do something that makes one happy, referring to anything from drinking with friends to having sex. Wakefield’s discussion of loanwords portrays some fascination consequences of language contact.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Cultural Conflict in Hong Kong |
| Subtitle of host publication | Angles on a Coherent Imaginary |
| Editors | Jason S. Polley, Vinton W. K. Poon, Lian-Hee Wee |
| Place of Publication | Singapore |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Pages | 15-34 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789811077661 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789811077654, 9789811339967 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 29 Mar 2018 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- General Social Sciences
- General Arts and Humanities
User-Defined Keywords
- Hong Kong Cantonese
- Language contact
- Lexical borrowing
- Loanwords
- Semantic change