A piece of Thailand recontextualized in Hong Kong: A linguistic and semiotic landscape account of "Little Thailand" in Kowloon City

Abstract

Despite having an ethnic Chinese majority, China's Hong Kong SAR is a diverse society with migrants and temporary workers from various ethnic, sociolinguistic and cultural backgrounds (e.g. Indians, Nepalis, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Filipinos and Thais) for historical and economic reasons. So far, most (socio)linguistic scholarship has explored two dominant languages Chinese and English in the global city. Yet, the multilingual aspects related to (minority) ethnic groups have received scant attention. Notably, parts of Kowloon City are Hong Kong’s 'Little Thailand', representing the beating heart of the Thai community on Chinese soil. Drawing on authentic data, this study examines the under-explored enclave of 'Little Thailand' in Hong Kong, from a linguistic/semiotic landscape perspective. Several linguistic and translational features emerging from the data are discussed. Also, various semiotic and multimodal elements (e.g. cultural and religious figures and symbols) are instrumental in meaning-making. The study points to the interlacing and juxtaposition of various Buddhist, Hindu, Thai and Chinese cultural and religious elements. A combination of various linguistic and semiotic elements gives the enclave a distinct aura, image and identity. This study contributes to linguistic landscape and the sociolinguistic study of ethnic enclaves in our globalised, dynamic and (super)diverse world in the 21st century