People in Hong Kong resent not people who speak Mandarin in general, but who are – at least in one’s imagination – associated with people who came to visit from Mainland China. Many issues generally around etiquette, politeness (or the lack of), lawlessness (or rulelessness?), cheap and disrespectful to others.
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Is it bad to speak Mandarin in Hong Kong?
The present-day Hong Kong government recognizes Cantonese, English and Putonghua (Mainland’s version of Mandarin) as official spoken languages, which means speaking Mandarin in Hong Kong is a legally protected right.
Can Hong Kongers understand Mandarin?
Mandarin is not just spoken on the mainland, but also in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and elsewhere throughout the world. It is now the lingua franca for the Chinese language globally. But most Hongkongers cannot speak Mandarin fluently.
Do Hong Kong people learn Mandarin?
Before the 1997 handover, most local schools in Hong Kong officially used English as the medium of instruction, but in practice also taught in Cantonese. Mandarin, also known as Putonghua, was introduced in schools in the 1980s and only became a core part of the curriculum in 1998.
Can someone who speaks Mandarin understand Cantonese?
However, the two languages are distinct when spoken. Mandarin speakers typically cannot understand Cantonese speakers, and vice versa.
Should I learn Cantonese or Mandarin?
It really depends on what you want to do. If you’re in Hong Kong, then by all means learn Cantonese. If you want to read Tang poetry, then learn Cantonese, because the poems still rhyme in Cantonese, where they may not in Mandarin. But if you want a generally useful language, learn Mandarin.
Is Mandarin compulsory in Hong Kong?
Students may not bother to study the language even if they are forced to learn it at school.Cantonese is our native language and it is widely spoken in the city. Languages are tools for communication and what we need in Hong Kong is simply Cantonese. It doesn’t mean that we should forget about Mandarin.
What language do Hong Kong Chinese speak?
ChineseEnglish
Is English spoken in Hong Kong?
English is one of the official languages in Hong Kong, and is used widely in the Government, academic circles, business and the courts. All road and government signs are bilingual. Those who spoke English or were taught English were considered the elite and upperclassmen.
Is English an official language in Hong Kong?
Chinese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong. English is widely used in the Government and by the legal, professional and business sectors.
Should I learn Cantonese or Mandarin Hong Kong?
If you want to be more widely understood, you should learn Mandarin. Nowadays with more and more trade and communication between Hong Kong and mainland China, more and more Cantonese speakers are learning Mandarin. Of course, if you plan to travel or work in China in the future, you can learn Mandarin.
What are people from Hong Kong called?
Hongkongers (Chinese: 香港人), also known as Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizen and Hong Kong people, typically refers to legal residents of the city of Hong Kong; although may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the city.
What religion is in Hong Kong?
A majority of the population identified with ‘Chinese Folk Religions’ (49%). Of the remaining population, 21.3% of Hong Kong is Buddhist, 14.2% is Taoist, 11.8% is Christian and 3.7% identified with ‘Other’. Smaller numbers of the population are Hindu, Sikh and Jewish.
What is the hardest language to learn?
Mandarin
Mandarin
As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the toughest language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.
What is the easiest language to learn?
And The Easiest Language To Learn Is…
- Norwegian. This may come as a surprise, but we have ranked Norwegian as the easiest language to learn for English speakers.
- Swedish.
- Spanish.
- Dutch.
- Portuguese.
- Indonesian.
- Italian.
- French.
How do you say hello in Cantonese?
1. Non Time-Sensitive Hello in Cantonese. The universal greeting in Cantonese is 你好, which literally translates as “you good.” Both of the syllables should be pronounced using rising tones, with the second tone slightly higher than the first. If someone says 你好 to you, you can simply respond with 你好 as well.
How long does it take to be fluent in Mandarin?
It takes a learner with average aptitude only 15 weeks to reach level 2 for Spanish or French, but about 50 weeks to reach a similar level of the Chinese language. If you want to be fully fluent in Mandarin, you’d better plan to spend about 230 weeks, which is about 4 years.
Is Mandarin and Chinese same?
Mandarin is a dialect of Chinese. Chinese is a language (Mandarin is one of the dialects of Chinese alongside Shanghainese, Cantonese and many more).
What is the most common Chinese language?
Mandarin
Do children in Hong Kong learn Mandarin?
Teachers in Hong Kong point out that children already learn Mandarin, as well as Cantonese and English.
Do they speak Chinese in Hong Kong?
The Basic Law of Hong Kong states that English and Chinese are the two official languages of Hong Kong. During the British colonial era, English was the sole official language until 1978 but has remained a strong second language in Hong Kong.
