6,159,000 (1995). British Crown Colony. Literacy rate 82% to 88%. Also includes Japanese 12,000, Malay 12,000, Vietnamese 160,000, from India 18,000, from the Philippines 65,000. Chinese traditional religion, Christian, secular, Muslim. Blind population 7,318. Deaf institutions: 14. The number of languages listed for Hong Kong is 7.
CHINESE SIGN LANGUAGE [CSL] Also in China, Malaysia, Taiwan. Deaf sign language. The sign language has been used since 1930. Elementary schools for deaf children since 1968. The sign language used in schools and that by deaf adults outside is different. Sign language interpretation required in court. Used some on TV. There is a committee on national sign language. Dictionary. Grammar.
CHINESE, HAKKA (HAKKA) [HAK] 193,000 in Hong Kong (1993); 34,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Sino-Tibetan, Chinese. Bible 1916. NT 1883-1993. Bible portions 1860-1995.
CHINESE, MANDARIN [CHN] Some in Hong Kong; 885,000,000 in all countries. Sino-Tibetan, Chinese. Bible 1874-1983. NT 1857-1981. Bible portions 1864-1986.
CHINESE, MIN NAN (SOUTHERN MIN, MIN NAN, MINNAN) [CFR] 540,000 in Hong Kong; 10% of the population (1989); 49,000,000 in all countries (1991 WA). Also in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, USA. Sino-Tibetan, Chinese. Dialect: FUJIAN (HOKKIEN). Bible 1933. NT 1896-1974. Bible portions 1875-1916.
CHINESE, YUE (CANTONESE, YUEH, YUE) [YUH] 5,292,000 in Hong Kong (1986), 98% of population, including some Hakka and Mandarin speakers; 46,305,000 in China; 66,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Also China, other countries. Sino-Tibetan, Chinese. National language. Braille Bible. Bible 1894-1981. NT 1877, in press (1996). Bible portions 1862-1903.
ENGLISH [ENG] 59,000 in Hong Kong (1993); 322,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Indo-European, Germanic, West, North Sea, English. National language. Bible 1538-1989. NT 1525-1985. Bible portions 1530-1987.
MACANESE (MACAO CREOLE PORTUGUESE, MACAENSE) [MZS] 4,000 in Hong Kong (1977 Voegelin and Voegelin); several thousand in Hong Kong, a few elderly speakers in Macau (1996 Ian Watts). Possibly also in USA. Creole, Portuguese based. Survey needed.
Part of the Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor.
Copyright © 1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. All rights reserved.
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