they will two reaction:
its either they get stunned by me asking them in mandarin
or they will just reply me back in english (which i dont mind at all)
Too bad i cant speak cantonese if im not mistaken speaking mandarin is sort of look down upon?
is hokkien popular dialet in Hong Kong?
2007-01-18 20:47:10 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I'm asian but mandarin is not my native language..i can converse in hokkien also but i doubt most of the hong kong people speaks hokkien
2007-01-18 23:23:29 · update #1
Hong Kong national language is cantonese. But now most of the young ones in Hongkong can speak mandarin. They are encourage to speak as now their main bulk of tourist are from China Mainland which majority speak mandarin.
So actually in Hong Kong , the people working in service sector will be at advantage if they are able speak mandarin (beside English).
But in Hong Kong , if you are able to speak and under cantonese, you will felt like being one of them.
Hong Kong people does not look on those who speak mandarin. In just that they are more fluent in cantonese and can express themselves better than mandarin.
PS: I have been working and living in Hong Kong for the past 3 years. I felt that the service sector here are much better than in Singapore. Even those in Hong kong street pasir malam are much more courteous.
2007-01-23 19:17:20 · answer #1 · answered by Jimmy L 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because Hong Kong was a British ruled colony for almost 100 years from before 1997. Besides the native dialect (cantonese), only english was officially taught since childhood. i.e. little to no mandarin in their daily activities.
So many or most HK residents are not fluent with mandarin at all even with the hand over in the last 10 years. And sorry, hokkien won't do much better either.
Sincerely, you will get friendlier receptions speaking english then mandarin in many places.
2007-01-19 00:37:43 · answer #2 · answered by minijumbofly 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cantonese is the primary dialect of Hong Kong..Mandarin is now the official language of Hong Kong due to the reversion to Mainland China. Mandarin is taught in schools and much language is in mandarin...but older Hong Kong people -- a lot of them have never learned mandarin...
I don't know if you are asian or not...but I am white and blonde and when I have been in china I sometimes get an odd reaction where I speak mandarin and they will only answer in english. I can't figure it out.
2007-01-18 22:54:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, my understanding is that Mandarin is kind of looked down on in Hong Kong because Cantonese is the more prestigious language. I imagine that many people there can understand Mandarin because they hear it on television programs, and so forth, but they don't speak it around.
2007-01-19 04:40:17 · answer #4 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cantonese in Southern China
Mandarin in the North
Hoikkien is spokien more in Taiwan, Singpopre and I think part of Fujian.
Untill 1999 People in Honkong had no need to speak Mandarian, the Official language oif the Peoples republic.
So only younger people and visitors from the mainland can speak it well.
Previous to Hong Kong's return to The peoples Republic of China Cantonese and English were the languages spoke by most people in Hong Kong
2007-01-18 21:02:16 · answer #5 · answered by Joseph M 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
i'm assuming which you're a Westerner for this respond. that's believed that chinese language is purely too tricky for Westerners to learn and which you have found out purely a pair stupid words and can't do any genuine communication in chinese language. to that end English may be extra advantageous to facilitate. Hong Kongers additionally decide to coach that they are in a position to communicate English and to that end will talk English. ultimately, Hong Kongers do not take care of foreigners to communicate their language except you're Filipino, Thai, Indonesian, or Indian kin worker, that have very low prestige in HK. Mandarin is definitely appeared down in HK. Mandarin is a compelled languaged in many areas of China. additionally Hong Kongers look down on Mainlanders... and being a Mainlander is at situations synonymous with speaking Mandarin. notwithstanding, a close-by Cantonese speaking mainlander is seen a brother extra suitable than a Mainlander.
2016-10-07 09:37:34 · answer #6 · answered by erlebach 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mandarin is more popular in Taiwan. Hong Kong, now under Chinese rule again, is primarily Cantonese, as you said. Perhaps they look down on Mandarin, since Mandarin is the primary language of the "rebellious" independent-minded Taiwan.
I say that somewhat facetiously, as I have many Chinese-American friends who are from Taiwan. Most of my Chinese-American friends speak Mandarin... a couple of them speak Cantonese, and one of them speaks both.
2007-01-18 20:53:31 · answer #7 · answered by scruffycat 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
people in Hong Kong speak Cantonese.
Hokkian is only spoken by some people in Taiwan, and Chinese people in Malaysia and Singapore
2007-01-26 19:46:55 · answer #8 · answered by Papilio paris 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they usually speak and understand English much better than Mandarin, as Mandarin was not used until the hand-over.
2007-01-18 22:42:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
People in HK(Xianggan) never look down upon you if you speak mandarin (Beijin), tout au contraire, they respect you speaking mandarin as standard chinese language. Do not be embarrased coz
Chinese speaks chinese, any chinese language acceptable by any kind of chinese.
2007-01-25 03:56:59 · answer #10 · answered by airreformer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋