Many of the influences that once defined colonial Hong Kong have faded, but the importance of the English language has proved resilient. The language is standing the test of time even as Legislative Council hearings are being predominantly conducted in Cantonese, and most local schools use the mother tongue in classrooms.
'During the 1997 handover, there was a feeling that English would be eclipsed and Putonghua would become the official medium of instruction, but the English language has shown a lot of tenacity in remaining the language of instruction and business,' said Chris Green, programme leader of the MA in English language studies and programme co-ordinator of the MA scheme in language studies for the professions at Polytechnic University's English department.
Globalisation and the outsourcing trend have further underpinned the importance of English in a global context and, in turn, fuelled its dominant position in Hong Kong.
'The popularity of English as a postgraduate subject has grown as people realise the value of English as a tool for communication,' Dr Green explained. 'For example, better English can help to improve a salesperson's performance or widen an engineer's work scope.'
A survey conducted last year by Polytechnic University's research centre for professional communication in English reported that participants found written English to be the most important language in their professional lives.
Spoken English continued to play an important role too, especially in employment interviews, formal meetings, conferences, seminars and presentations, the survey said, while the need for effective written communication skills in English became increasingly crucial as a professional rose through the ranks of an organisation.