Language and Legal Consciousness in a Hong Kong Court

This paper examines the impact of courtroom language choice in a complex two-language legal system and the relationship of these languages and choices in the development and evolution of a post-colonial legal consciousness in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).The primary case, observations, and interview data come from the Coroners Court in the HKSAR Judiciary, as it represents a uniquely non-criminal court with a wide capacity for social relevance.The data support a clearer view than previously obtained of the nature of Cantonese language in a common law court and the everyday efforts to spread a Cantonese version of the common law.Through this re-making of courtroom legal language, we can also see a possible reflection of a localizing legal consciousness in the wider society and judiciary of the HKSAR.