Holly Leung’s capstone project was exemplary both in overall research design and in data analysis and interpretation. Her research focuses on the Americanisation of English in Hong Kong, with a detailed phonetic and phonological analysis of speech extracts from a range of English speakers in Hong Kong. In addition to the time-consuming and exacting phonetic and phonological analysis of a number of features associated with American English, Holly also examined the ‘accent aims’ of her participants, with an aim of correlating these aims with the use of specific American or British or Hong Kong English features.

This project was impressive due the range of data and analyses conducted and the mastery of theoretical frameworks that Holly displayed both during her oral presentation as well as in her final written project.

Previous studies have highlighted a growing prevalence of American English (AmE) in Hong Kong, a former British colony. This mixed-method study investigates AmE features among ten local English majors from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), focusing on rhoticity, flapping, T-Glottalization, and the BATH and LOT lexical sets. Participants read English texts and answered five questions about their perceived accents and accent preferences. Speech data from both reading and interview tasks were analyzed using Pratt and transcribed into IPA. Drawing on Hansen Edwards’ study (2016), this research aims to assess the prevalence of AmE features, the degree to which speakers aspire to adopt them, and the influences on their accents, while also analyzing style-shifting between AmE and British English (BrE) across the two tasks.

Findings indicate that despite the prestige associated with BrE, AmE is increasingly prominent in Hong Kong. Rhoticity emerged as the most prevalent AmE feature, alongside the rising use of BATH [æ] and LOT [ɑː] vowels, while T-glottalization is diminishing. Notably, 70% of participants aimed for a British accent, revealing an exonormative tendency. Motivations for style-shifting were influenced by context, with reading tasks fostering more deliberate speech aligned with BrE, while interviews, which were more spontaneous, led to the emergence of more natural AmE features. Social dynamics and perceived prestige also informed participants’ accent choices, with American media playing a pivotal role in shaping local English usage. Despite most participants having learned BrE, over half reported exposure to AmE accents from teachers, raising questions about the future of English instruction in Hong Kong. This study underscores the need for further research into the impact of American media on local accents, particularly within educational frameworks.

Participating in my Capstone project has been an invaluable experience that significantly shaped my academic journey. I am grateful for the opportunity to work under Professor Hansen Edwards, whose guidance enhanced my understanding of research methodologies, particularly in accent analysis. The process of investigating the influence of American English in Hong Kong has not only sharpened my critical thinking skills but also deepened my appreciation for the complexities of language use and style-shifting as a sociolinguistic phenomenon.

Through interviews and data analysis, I encountered diverse perspectives on accents and the pervasive impact of American media. This exploration felt like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle that will never be finished, revealing the intricate relationship between language, identity, and globalization. I am excited to bring these insights into my Master’s program in Applied English Linguistics at CUHK, where I hope to further contribute to the understanding of English accents in Hong Kong and their implications for language education.