Metalinguistic tactics in the Hong Kong protest movement

Abstract This paper explores the metalinguistic tactics used by Hong Kong protesters in 2014 and 2019 how they reflected exploited a range of dominant ideologies about language city. These are considered both terms their rhetorical utility “message war” between authorities, significance broader sociolinguistic context Kong. The analysis reveals such entailed opportunities risks, allowing to create shareable discursive artifacts that spread quickly over social media promote in-group solidarity distrust political opponents, but also limiting ability broaden appeal messages certain segments population implicating them upholding exclusion marginalization.