《A Cross-cultural Study of Preferences for Popular Music》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《A Cross-cultural Study of Preferences for Popular Music（21页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、A Cross-cultural Study of Preferences for Popular MusicAmong Hong Kong and Thailand YouthsWai-chung HoAbstractThe main purpose of this studyis to explore popular music preferences among young people in Hong Kong and Thailand. The survey was conducted between June and November 2003. It includes a sho
2、rt questionnaire concerning participants musical habits, a listening test comprising fifteen excerpts from popular songs in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Spanish, and English and interview questions about musical preferences and influences. The correlation between the language of song
3、s and the subjects native language was significant, although Korean songs were rated highest and Mandarin lowest in the listening test. Most respondents admitted that they had pop idols and that they preferred mainly local singers. Whilst most respondents believed that a good singing voice was the m
4、ost important consideration, some said that good looks, good dancing, unique character, and a good image were also important. Subjects engaged in higher education in both places had a greater preference for classical and Western music generally. The results of this study indicate that generalization
5、s about musical preferences must take into account the specific cultural and educational background of the subjects concerned. Key words: Hong Kong; Bangkok; popular music; consumer behaviour; social and cultural influences.IntroductionThis article compares the cultural and social conditions in whic
6、h popular music emerged in Hong Kong (HK) and Thailand, and in which it has been nurtured by young people. MTV, which was spawned in the USA, is acknowledged by many as the leading medium of global youth culture. Regional channels, like MTV Asia and Channel V, adapt Western pop culture to Asian tast
7、es, in a process of assimilation that has been accelerated by the rise of English as a second language among HK and Thai young people. Meanwhile, MTV has probably done more to encourage local youth icons to engage with their local music business. Star TVs Channel V is an inescapable music video prog
8、ramming presence in both HK and Thailand. This study of young peoples musical preferences and social perceptions in HK and Thailand ignores the many internal differences within popular music. It first examines the rise of Western popular music in the diverse socio-political climates of HK and Thaila
9、nd, and then presents the findings of a listening test and interviews with young people. The ethno-political situation in HKHK is situated off the Kwangtung Province of south-east China. After the first Opium War, China ceded HK to the United Kingdom (UK) under the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. On Chri
10、stmas Day, 1941, the British army surrendered HK to Japan, but reclaimed it four years later on 14th August 1945. As a result of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, the UK promised to restore HK to China on 1st July 1997 as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) with a high degree of autonomy in
11、 all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the following 50 years. Almost 95 per cent of the 7.4 million populations are ethnic, Cantonese-speaking Chinese, approximately 90 per cent of which are an eclectic mixture of local religions, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, whilst the remainde
12、rs are divided almost equally between Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian sects. Chinese and English are the two official languages, the latter being more commonly used for business and the former being the most widely spoken dialect. Besides the international schools and those Chinese schools u
13、sing English as their teaching instruction, Cantonese (one of the major dialects of the Chinese language and mainly spoken in the south-eastern part of mainland China, HK, Macau) is the medium of instruction in school, though, since 1997 many schools switched to using Mandarin. An overview of popula
14、r music in HKPopular music is the single most influential factor for many young people in Hong Kong (see Ho 2002, 2003; So 2002). HK popular music had been dominated by English and Taiwanese popular songs since before the 1980s. During the 1960s and 1970s Western popular songs by the Carpenters, the
15、 Bee Gees, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Olivia Newton John, and the Rolling Stones dominated the music market in HK; and Taiwanese singers such as Yao Su-rong, Qing Shan, You Ya, Tang Yan, Zhang Pi and Geng Li-jun (otherwise known as Teresa Tang) rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s. Then C
16、antonese songs took over the market in the 1980s and 1990s. Several big record labels such as Sony, EMI, Polydor, and Philips run the businesses in HK, targeting Cantonese audiences, often reissuing British, US-American and Japanese originals. Since the early 1990s HK popular artists have been producing both Canto-pop, and Mandarin songs, or Mando-pop, to reach a wider music market in the greater Chinese communities. The most significant success stories to date were
