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, Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, 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) as a result of historical and economic factors. To date, most (socio)linguistic studies on the global city have focused on the two dominant languages, Chinese and English, whereas the multilingual practices associated with (minority) ethnic groups have received little scholarly attention. Of particular interest for this study are the parts of Kowloon city that constitute Hong Kong’s “Little Thailand” and represent the beating heart of the Thai community on Chinese soil. Drawing on authentic data, this study investigates the under-explored enclave of Little Thailand in Hong Kong from the perspective of linguistic and semiotic landscape research. It discusses several linguistic and translational features that emerge from the data, highlighting how various semiotic and multimodal elements (e.g. cultural and religious figures and symbols) are instrumental in meaning-making. The findings reveal an intricate interlacing and juxtaposition of various Buddhist, Hindu, Thai, and Chinese cultural and religious elements. The interplay of diverse linguistic and semiotic resources shapes the enclave’s distinct aura, image, and identity. This study contributes to the broader fields of translation, linguistic landscape research, and the sociolinguistic study of ethnic enclaves in the context of a globalized, dynamic, and (super)diverse twenty-first-century world.