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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
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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?
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eggcluck
Senior Member
China
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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.

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Camundonguinho
Triglot
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Brazil
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 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.
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nway
Senior Member
United States
youtube.com/user/Vic
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 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

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Tropi
Diglot
Groupie
Austria
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 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

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COF
Senior Member
United States
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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?
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versuss
Pentaglot
Newbie
United Kingdom
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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.
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nway
Senior Member
United States
youtube.com/user/Vic
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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.


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