Conclusion

Nowadays, most Chiu Chow families in Hong Kong, if not all, have become Cantonese speaking families. However, the Chiu Chow language is still employed in various family and church context. The sole purpose of using the Chiu Chow language was no longer for daily communication, but integration and consolidation of vernacular identity as Teochew. On top, the situation of intergenerational transmission of the language is quite optimistic, given the positive and non-forceful language attitudes towards the use of Chiu Chow among families studied. It is believed that the retention of Chiu Chow-style cuisines and its cultural habits would help to retain the Chiu Chow language. Thereby, restorative efforts should be driven by intimate families and local community levels. For instance, Clan associations can act as a platform for and provide services to Teochew in Hong Kong to preserve its unique language and vernacular ethnic and cultural identity.

Limitations and Suggestions

This study only provides a preliminary exploration on the language choice and relationship between language and identity within a Chiu Chow family, Chiu Chow restaurants and a Chiu Chow church in Hong Kong. There are limitations in the study. The study looked into the synchronic condition of the current use of Chiu Chow within three communities. The views collected from these limited number of informants are not representable and cannot provide a comprehensive overview of the situation in Hong Kong. Also, the code-switching situation after the shift of Chiu Chow language to Cantonese is not included. Besides, there is no historical data to look into the means of how the informants acquire the language.

Further research can be studied to investigate further on the followings:

Compare three generations of a family on the use of Cantonese and Chiu Chow language and the pattern of language shift.
With proficiencies in English and Mandarin, further studies can look into the importance between these two languages and Cantonese in a Hong Kong Chiu Chow people’s daily lives in shaping one’s language pattern.

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