Register  Login  Active Topics  Maps  

Is Mandarin worthless in Hong Kong?

 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages Post Reply
18 messages over 3 pages: 1 2 3  Next >>
COF
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5816 days ago

262 posts - 354 votes 
Speaks: English*

 
 Message 1 of 18
31 May 2012 at 3:29pm | IP Logged 
I've heard that if you live in Hong Kong and ever really want to integrate into local society and live outside the expat bubble, then Cantonese is an absolute must.

Likewise, if you want to find work in Hong Kong that isn't just aimed at expat workers, then a decent command of Cantonese is a neccessity and a decent command of Mandarin doesn't account for much in Hong Kong, possibly even less than English.

Is this true or is this an underestimation of the usefulness of Mandarin in Hong Kong?
1 person has voted this message useful



eggcluck
Senior Member
China
Joined 4686 days ago

168 posts - 278 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Mandarin, Japanese

 
 Message 2 of 18
31 May 2012 at 4:00pm | IP Logged 
Madarin is usefull in Hong Kong. I have been there I have used it. Of course the local dialect would be more benificial.

1 person has voted this message useful



Camundonguinho
Triglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 4734 days ago

273 posts - 500 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, English, Spanish
Studies: Swedish

 
 Message 3 of 18
31 May 2012 at 4:40pm | IP Logged 
Most foreign companies have sites only in English and Cantonese (in traditional characters), for example
the site of Canon Hong Kong.
So, Mandarin in simplified characters is not promoted.
2 persons have voted this message useful



nway
Senior Member
United States
youtube.com/user/Vic
Joined 5400 days ago

574 posts - 1707 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean

 
 Message 4 of 18
31 May 2012 at 4:50pm | IP Logged 
Aside from English, it's hard to think of a more useful second language anywhere in the world than Mandarin in Hong Kong.

Nowadays, more commonly asked (by expats) is the question, "Is Cantonese worthless in Hong Kong?".

(Not that I'm suggesting you make a thread about that, too..)


Edited by nway on 31 May 2012 at 4:52pm

3 persons have voted this message useful



Tropi
Diglot
Groupie
Austria
Joined 5416 days ago

67 posts - 87 votes 
Speaks: German*, English
Studies: Mandarin

 
 Message 5 of 18
31 May 2012 at 5:40pm | IP Logged 
I think it's out of question, that Mandarin is beneficial in Hong Kong, but in order to "integrate into local society and live outside the expat bubble". I personally don't think the statement made above is an exaggeration, but then again, every region has a dominant language, and if you don't speak it you are an outsider.

Edited by Tropi on 31 May 2012 at 5:40pm

1 person has voted this message useful



COF
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5816 days ago

262 posts - 354 votes 
Speaks: English*

 
 Message 6 of 18
31 May 2012 at 5:42pm | IP Logged 
eggcluck wrote:
Madarin is usefull in Hong Kong. I have been there I have used it. Of course the local dialect would be more benificial.


Would you say Mandarin is more useful than English?
1 person has voted this message useful



versuss
Pentaglot
Newbie
United Kingdom
Joined 5359 days ago

20 posts - 25 votes
Speaks: Taiwanese, Cantonese, Mandarin*, English, Malay
Studies: French, Japanese, Esperanto

 
 Message 7 of 18
31 May 2012 at 6:53pm | IP Logged 
If your goal is to integrate into local society, then Mandarin is virtually useless.
Most of the people in Hong Kong only learn it for business purpose. In fact, most of them
even struggle to speak a word or two.
You shouldn't expect a local will speak Mandarin with you, especially when you're a
Caucasian. It would be as weird as speaking Spanish to a French.
2 persons have voted this message useful



nway
Senior Member
United States
youtube.com/user/Vic
Joined 5400 days ago

574 posts - 1707 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean

 
 Message 8 of 18
31 May 2012 at 7:37pm | IP Logged 
About 28 million mainlanders visited Hong Kong last year. By comparison, Hong Kong has a population of 7 million.

Certainly Cantonese is the language of choice of Hong Kongers—but Hong Kong doesn't just consist of Hong Kongers.


3 persons have voted this message useful



This discussion contains 18 messages over 3 pages: 2 3  Next >>


Post ReplyPost New Topic Printable version Printable version

You cannot post new topics in this forum - You cannot reply to topics in this forum - You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum - You cannot create polls in this forum - You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page was generated in 0.4375 seconds.


DHTML Menu By Milonic JavaScript
Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved
No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization.