How Language Variation Affects Inter-Cultural Differentiation of Values By Hong Kong Bilinguals

Abstract

Chinese bilinguals from Hong Kong responded to an expanded version of Rokeach's (1973) Value Survey written in either Chinese or English. Their task was to rate the perceived positions of a typical Hong Kong Chinese (auto stereotype) and a typical English-speaking Westerner (hetero stereotype). There was considerable differentiation between the two groups. with 18 values showing differences at the 0.01 confidence level. The size of this difference interacted with questionnaire language or task order for six of these discriminating values. A composite of the 17 Western 'favouring' values was then analysed. It yielded interactions between the size of stereotype difference and both language and task order, with the difference smaller in English and when the out-group was rated first. Correlational evidence about the size of the language effect strongly supported derivations from social identity theory.