Macau (Mandarin Àomén, Cantonese Ou3mun4 澳門) is a small peninsular territory located off the southern coast of Guǎngdōng, on the west side of the Pearl River delta about 60 kilometers from Hong Kong. (Macau can also be spelled “Macao”. According to Moody [2008:13], “Macau” is commonly considered to be the Portuguese spelling and “Macao” the English spelling, but in fact both spellings have been used in both languages. “Macao” seems now to be preferred in official government documents. This article will consistently use “Macau”.)

The language situation in Macau is the result of …