The language situation in Macao

Abstract

In postcolonial societies, forces associated with globalization operate along with local geopolitical changes. The complex and multifaceted interactions between local, national, and global forces may take different sociolinguistic shapes in postcolonial societies. This study provides an overview of the language situation in Macao. The Portuguese established their colonial rule in Macao in the mid-nineteenth century. On 20 December 1999, Macao was reintegrated with the People's Republic of China and reinvented as the Macao Special Administrative Region (the Macao SAR) under the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”. The overview shows that in postcolonial Macao the dynamic interplay of local, national, and global forces prevails across all sectors from politics to economy to education. At the same time, the push and pull between the local, national, and global forces are also discernible in Macao's sociolinguistic landscape as well as the Macao SAR Government's language policy and planning.