(2017) Chinese (Cantonese) – Cultural key words: MONG4

Published on October 15, 2017. Last updated on September 13, 2018.

Leung, Helen Hue Lam (2017). Cantonese ‘mong4’: A cultural keyword of ‘busy’ Hong Kong. In Carsten Levisen & Sophia Waters (Eds.), Cultural keywords in discourse (pp. 183-210). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI: 10.1075/pbns.277.08leu

This chapter investigates the Hong Kong Cantonese cultural key word 忙 mong4. 忙 mong4 is usually translated into English as busy and into Mandarin as 忙 máng, but though their meanings overlap, many examples of busy and 忙 máng cannot be translated directly into Cantonese using 忙 mong4. This is because mong has a culturally significant meaning and usage, and is linked to a specific value system supported by Hong Kong discourse. This chapter examines some differences between 忙 mong4, busy and 忙 máng, explores Hong Kong discourses of work and life, and the meta-discourse surrounding mong in the speech community. A Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) explication for 忙 mong4 is proposed in English and Cantonese.

Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

	Crude application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
	Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
	Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
	Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
	Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners