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The ruling class often adapted its language, clothing and even names to those it had defeated
The fervor with which many people "Hang on to the official status of English in Hong Kong has been highlighted by the recent outcry over the alleged rejection of its importance by Carrie CEO Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. She even issued a statement soon after, reinforcing Hong Kong's commitment to the English language
The English language was bequeathed to Hong Kong and Singapore by Britain and she received a status official language in both languages. 19659006] Speaking in Languages: Why Asean Members Stick to English
In Singapore, over 70% of the population is of Chinese origin while the Malay, Indians and others make up the rest. It is against this racial and linguistic backdrop that English, perceived as neutral, became the common language.
English does not have the same goal in Hong Kong, where 92% of the population is of Chinese and Cantonese origin. is the dominant language. However, Article 9 of the Basic Law states that "in addition to the Chinese language, English may also be used as the official language". This is not so much a wink at the existence of the remaining 8% of the population (many of whom do not speak English as a first language), but a conscious protest of the reason to be Hong Kong as "international city"
While Singapore and Hong Kong place the language of their former rulers on a pedestal, the reverse is generally true in China's past , the conquerors adopting the language of the conquered. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, of which the ruling Xianbei people were from present-day Siberia, the process was written in politics and accelerated.
Emperor Xiaowen (who ruled from AD471 to 499) implemented Sinification Program throughout his state, which covered most of northern China. Apart from political reforms based on Chinese models, he decreed that the Xianbei people should wear Chinese clothing and adopt Chinese names. (The imperial family gave the example by changing their last name, from Xianbei "Tuoba" to Chinese "Yuan".)
The most important of these policies forced the Xianbei people to give up their own language and to speak Chinese. People aged 30 and over received a grace period to gain mastery, but young Xianbei officials would be demoted or fired if they did not become literate in China.
Other foreign occupants of Central and North Asia were less draconian. their language policies, but they too have finally adopted the Chinese language as their own. The only exceptions were the Mongols, who ruled between 1271 and 1368, and of course the Europeans and Japanese who occupied parts of the Chinese nation in the 19th and 20th centuries.
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