Mapping the language-in-identity configuration in Hong Kong today

This study explores the cognitive mechanisms through which language is progressively engaged in the flow of identity construction under power relations, based on an empirical study on Hong Kong’s media discourse from 2017 to 2022. Drawing on the concepts of collective identity and indexicality, we analyze the indexical meanings of Cantonese, Putonghua, Simplified Chinese characters and Traditional Chinese characters, uncovering four modalities within Hong Kong’s language-in-identity landscape amid changing sociopolitical conditions. The findings highlight the nuances and dynamics of Hong Kong’s language-in-identity process: while Putonghua and simplified characters are commonly associated with resistance identity against Mainland China, there is a notable trend of Putonghua being increasingly linked to national identity. Furthermore, Cantonese and traditional characters carry identity connotations at local, regional and national levels, setting the stage for their further exploitation in conscious or unconscious identity work for various purposes. In terms of theoretical contributions to the broader fields of language and identity research, this study demonstrates that a “successful” integration of language issues into identity work relies heavily on reprocessing certain language ideologies that are already embedded within the society in question.