Language Policies and Practices at
the University of Hong Kong
Nigel Bruce, Chris Davison & Scarlet Poon
The University of Hong Kong
Establishing an EMI University in HK
Colonial higher education project:
It is not, in my view, to establish a University
on lines which might equally well be adopted
in Canton, where Students could be taught in
Chinese and be entirely dissociated from
British influences. On the contrary we desire
to promote a closer understanding of the two
races, and this can best be done by the
acquisition of the English language. We
believe that language is the best medium
for imparting Western knowledge.
(A memorandum by F. Lugard, 3 August 1908,
rejecting Sir Ho Kai’s proposal of having
Chinese as the MOI of HKU)
Emphasis on Chinese Studies at HKU
“In the Faculty of Arts due provision shall
be made for the study of the Chinese
language and literature.”
(Amended 49 of 1960 s. 2; 81 of 1978 s. 2)
(University Ordinance 1911, and to date)
“An interest in Oriental Studies is
essential, and the person selected should
also understand that, if not already
acquainted with Classical Chinese, he
should be prepared to devote time to its
study. He would have ample time for this
during the long vacation.”
(Claud Severn, Colonial Secretary, Confidential
Note “Special Qualifications Desirable for the Post
of Vice-Chancellor of HKU”, 1920.)
Sir Charles Eliot,
Vice-Chancellor
1912-1918
Mr William Hornell,
Vice-Chancellor 1924-37
Sir Cecil Clementi,
HK Governor 1925-30
R K M Simpson, Professor in English, 1920-1951
Proponent of English Across Curriculum
Objectives of the English Curriculum
for all students at HKU in the early 1920s
“The object in the first year’s course will be to ensure for the student a
practical command of the English language, to train in the building of
sentences and help him in the acquisition of a vocabulary. Some
attention will also be given to a preparation for that study of English
Literature, by which alone such command of the language can be
maintained and extended.
In the second year it will be borned [sic] in mind that the study of
English Literature has not only a practical value as an aid to composition,
but has also a cultural value.
In the third and fourth years this cultural value will tend to
predominate , and English studies will become the ground for the
exercise of critical faculty, development of personal taste, and
instruction in aesthetics. Literature will be studied by periods.”
“Do students who are going to pass on to the study of medicine
and engineering require the same preliminary English
training as is admittedly suitable for those who are going to take
the full course of the Arts Faculty curriculum? … they should
acquire something more than professional knowledge and
skill- something of the broader and more cultured outlook
which a University is designed to give. (Report of 1932-33,
Faculty of Arts)
Balance between professional training, broad cultural
education and language education
Economics & business streams –
Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations/other Economic classics
Teacher’s Course students (1919-20)Herbert Spencer’s Principles of Education, instead of Robert
Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island
Commercial studentsRose Buhlig’s Business English
Source: HKU Annual Report 1946-47
The University of Hong Kong was re-opened after the
Second World War in October 1946
Post-WWII: Special Place of English at HKU affirmed
[The University Advisory Committee] unanimously supported the
view of the special place of English in University studies... Prof.
Lilian M. Penson said that we must regard English in Hong
Kong University as having the importance of Latin in earlier
days in Western universities.
[Mr. Duncan Sloss] claimed that the superiority of achievement in
English in Hong Kong schools was in large measure due to the
work done in the past generation by the English Department of
the University and that the standard of English in Hong Kong was
at least a year ahead of that achieved in China.
BW 90/58 HKU Advisory Committee. Draft minutes (confidential) of the
meeting held in Colonial Office, Downing Street. Dated 4 March 1946
HKU appointment criteria for the post of an English lecturer and tutor, 1927-28
“A poor knowledge of
English”
“Individual instruction
of an intensive nature
will be required”
HKU Undergraduates’ Language Attitudes (Undergrad, 1959)
An Undergraduate on his thoughts as a HKU Chinese major
Words from the Editor:
First Publication of
Chinese version of
UNDERGRAD
English was a
compulsory subject
for Chinese majors in
their first year
Some Chinese majors
felt looked down upon
by other HKU students
Tertiary Language Policy since the 1980s
Late 1980s to mid-1990s:
 major rise in % of school-leavers going into higher ed.
 Polytechnics upgraded to universities
 Central (UGC) funding for English Enhancement
 English for Academic Purposes takes hold


… but, by 1997, expansion slows, & in 1998 an extended
recession begins, resulting in funding cutbacks, & a “stocktake” on tertiary funding
Yet now with increased sub-degree places H.E. enrolment
ratio has escalated to 66% in 2005 …
1
/
3
1
/
2
Pressure building up again for English



Can HK support an English-medium tertiary sector?
In 2009, senior secondary ends a year earlier at F.6 – and
Univ. gains a year to 4-year degrees.
Of the [80% of total] CMI sec. schools, most will offer
most subjects in English-medium in upper secondary
Pressure building up again for English
Can HK support an English-medium tertiary sector?
 In 2009, senior secondary ends a year earlier at F.6 – and
Univ. gains a year to 4-year degrees.
 Of the [80% of total] CMI sec. schools, most will offer
most subjects in English-medium in upper secondary
 The “declining standard of English” a discursive reality
…yet, as David Nunan says, all talk & but little action on
redressing the underlying problems
 English represents “capital” for most HKers…still the
preferred “medium” in surveys…despite the “declining
standards”…. we need to examine our metaphors…

Right & wrong language
Correct grammar, accuracy, correct every error
writing correct grammar: “ …but it irritates me,
because I think it's illiterate, you know, it's just
illiterate, it irritates ME, and when it comes from a, a
teacher in a tertiary institution it really irritates me…”
Curriculum: Dept. aims: impart a knowledge base;
Sts need: the full grasp of the entire knowledge base
Language: Grammar: once you have mastered that, then you can think
about, you know, gender bias and that sort of bias, that sort of
language awareness…
[anyway] political, racial connotations not the important kind of
language awareness for our undergraduates, because
you know their problem is more basic. [Sociology lecturer]
Grammar drills: “… drilling is still a good way to
hammer home, you know, to really get the students to
have a hang of the language - to avoid, you know, silly
mistakes …”
Several government reports (e.g. Education
Commission 1995) have shed some light on students’
general declining English standards.”
(SCMP, May, 2003)
Jan. 1991
Jan. 1991
Language
Policy
at
HKU
Language Policies and Practices at the
University of Hong Kong
General regulations of the University of Hong Kong:
G.9 . Examinations:
(f) Examination scripts and theses and dissertations for higher degrees shall be
written in English, unless the candidate is given permission by the Senate to
use another language.
 In 1989, compulsory 6 credits of English Enhancement
 In 1998, 3 credits of Chinese made compulsory – Malthusian
logic – English down to 3 credits to graduate
 In 2004, Language Policy Report advised
More resources to be directed to weaker students
Mr
Nigel Bruce,
Dr Chris
Davison
& Miss
Scarlet
 Departments
to identify
“English
in the Major”
subjects
&
take responsibility
teaching &ofassessing
these
Thefor
University
Hong Kong
 HKU to set up a Language Policy Committee (early 2005)

Poon
Language Policy Committee, HKU
Chinese for academic purposes: CUHK
Language Policies and Practices at the
University of CUHK:
HongEstablished
Kong in 1963
Mr Nigel Bruce, Dr Chris Davison & Miss Scarlet Poon
The University of Hong Kong
Committee on Bilingualism: set up in early 2005
1st meeting: 14th April, 2005
MOI Practices in other HK Tertiary Institutions
H.K. Polytechnic University
EMI? “barely half the instruction is in English”
 ESL? “English cannot be claimed to be a second
language. It …serves as a tool for study. It (is) ... a
foreign language.”
 English improved at Univ.? More than half the
interviewees stated that their language proficiency
had neither improved nor declined
[Li, Leung & Kember survey, 2001]

Mid-1990s “stock-take” on tertiary language policy
- a series of Language use surveys
CityU: Walters & Balla (1998): conclude…
 “E-M instruction in HK is “not the total immersion
concept that the term suggests. At best, English is
used when it needs to be, i.e. Cantonese, the L1 of
the vast majority of students and the majority of
lecturers, is used as the medium of instruction” …
“the students have developed coping mechanisms
which allows them to survive” (p.387)
MOI Practices in other HK Tertiary Institutions
“Higher education in Hong Kong suffers from
disparities between espoused theory and …language
use. The universities, mainly, act as though they have
not recognized that the policy-practice gap exists.
Though higher education institutions are revising
their language policies few appear to admit to a
mismatch between espoused theory (& practice) &
little has been done to remove the discrepancy.”
Li, Leung & Kember, Higher Education Policy, 14, 2001:
.
Hong Kong’s Linguistic Profile
Increasing Internationalization of
HKU
Increasing Internationalization of HKU
Source: QuickStats, HKU, Sept, 2005
Global Lounge
.. But also significant rise in the no. of staff from
mainland China and HK (and returnees)
Number of Full-time Professoriate Staff by Nationality
400
350
385
337
300
250
200
1995
2005
150
93
100
50
117
61 73
25
0
Hong Kong
China
(Mainland)
US
UK
95
HKU Collaborative Research Project

Funded by HKU Strategic
Research Theme Constituent
Theme on Languages, Media
and Communication:
Language in Education and
Assessment

The 3 year project aims to
stimulate and extend research
on MOI and language related
issues at HKU and in the
wider HK community.
URL: http://www.hku.hk/clear
HKU Collaborative Research Project
Large-scale sociolinguistic survey investigating undergraduate
beliefs, attitudes and practices in relation to language use at
HKU
http://www.hku.hk/clear/doc/piloting_survey.pdf


To be carried out in late September 2006 with first and third
year undergraduates
Follow up focus group interviews
Key research areas
- Self-assessment of English and Cantonese
proficiency
- Language use and language support
- Language attitudes
- Language policies: implicit and explicit
HKU Doctoral Research Programme
Doctoral -level case studies of
particular areas of language policy
and practice



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The English-learning experiences
of a non-Cantonese speaking
mainland Chinese students
Student attitudes and practices
in speaking English at HKU
Investigating ‘effective’ L2
academic writing in the Social
Sciences
Spoken language practices &
perceptions of Yr. 1 Economics
students

Supervisor-supervisee expectations
and beliefs at HKU

Motivations of HKU students
learning German as a 3rd language

The construction of ESL-medium
tertiary language policy in Hong Kong:
Unpacking the educational discourse
of government, university and legal
education stakeholders
Potential
Outcomes
More institutional awareness of nature of language and
relationship between language and learning?
More integrated language and content/discipline teaching,
including more collaborative planning?
More coordinated support for staff development?
More collaborative action research with university staff
(and students)?
More cross-institutional benchmarking and research?