| Popis: |
In many ways the historical complexity of Macau’s linguistic ecology is under threat. The epilogue to the volume considers how linguistic diversity might be preserved or encouraged in the future. Chinese is one of the most diverse languages use in Macau, but there are internal and external pressures to adopt Putonghua as a standardised variety of Chinese. While there appears to be no immediate end to the dominance of Cantonese within the territory, other varieties (most notably Hokkien) may continue to find the number of using diminished in the future. While there are strong local commitments to learning as using English as a tertiary medium of instruction, there are also recognisable ways in which English’s dominance in universities is eroding. Finally, Portuguese has been endangered within the territory for nearly a hundred years and there is little reason to expect that government commitments to Portuguese will eventually prevent the loss of the variety. |
