English [en], Spanish [es], .epub, /lgli/zlib, 1.6MB, Book (non-fiction), lgli/Cummings, Patrick Jean., Wolf, Hans-Georg - A Dictionary of Hong Kong English (2011, ).epub
A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor
Hong Kong University Press, 2011
Cummings, Patrick Jean., Wolf, Hans-Georg
The Macquarie Dictionary, even in an edition intended for the Asian market, has only a fraction of the several hundred items recorded in this volume. Words like amah for a maid, ayah for a domestic helper, shroff for a kiosk are well documented, but there are many more recent additions, like jetso for a bargain, caput school for a school receiving a government grant per student, and tong lau for older residential buildings with stairs rather than lifts, all of which are very welcome. That said, the dictionary’s claim to be the first of its kind is a little strong. There have been other such accounts of Hong Kong-isms and now, of course, the internet provides a number of such variety-specific word lists of various size and quality to instruct and entertain just as this one does.