Developing a Research Question from the Article Hong Kong and Modern Diglossia

Reading relating to this tutorial:

Snow, Don. 2010. Hong Kong and modern diglossia. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 206:155-179.

Tutorial Preparation Task: This tutorial focuses on the skills needed to develop a research question – often the first step in undertaking a piece of research. We’ll work on this in class using this week’s reading on diglossia in Hong Kong. In preparation for the tutorial you should have read Snow (2010), and attended or listened to the Week 4 Seminar (Written and spoken language). In addition prepare notes in response to the questions below; you will be expected to discuss your responses with other students in class. 1. What do you think is the research question that Snow responds to in this article? To respond to this question: think about Snow’s article and what you think he wants the reader to learn from reading it. Aim to present your response as a single research question which Snow’s article answers. Write less than 50 words. 2. Based on Snow (2010), propose two possible research questions. To respond to this question: think about the different concepts and examples that Snow (2010) discusses, and the places in the article where you had questions or wanted further information or explanation. Aim to respond to this question with two questions that might be suitable for a short research essay that builds on Snow’s (2010) article. Write less than 100 words.