Tag: Language Policy

English used as inclusivity: Variations between Hong Kong and Australia

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

by Casey Morrison

In my experiences so far in Hong Kong I’ve noticed that even though English is one of the recognised languages, as with most places, there are varying degrees and social settings where English is used. Local Hongkongers code switch between Cantonese, English and Konglish (a merging of both Cantonese and English) which can allow for broader inclusivity between Cantonese and non-Cantonese speakers. As a native English speaker, I wonder then how and to what extent this overlapping of languages happens? Within University and other academic spaces more intricately phrased English conversations tend to happen when compared with the English used in the streets of Hong Kong. Casual conversation in stores or at food vendors tend to use much more simplified language and with frequent hand gestures to enhance meaning of speech. Despite these different degrees of English, communication is still occurring. Depending on the social setting or the audience, Cantonese speakers also switch between Cantonese and English in order to interact with listeners better. I have experienced Hongkongers speak in English to me then turn to speak Cantonese or Konglish to their classmates seeking translation or clarification. In this circumstance, I am able to understand some of their dialogue because of the incorporation of English words. Inadvertently culture and language are being shared and understood.

So how does English in Hong Kong compare to English used in Australia?

Australian Cultural Diversity Image retrieved from: https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2018/10/why-has-multiculturalism-worked-downunder/

Although Australia is a very multicultural, cosmopolitan community, English is the main mode of communicative speech. In a public setting English is used to encompass everyone and it is only in private settings or in small same-culture groups that other cultures use their native language. In this way, English becomes the inclusive language spoken in Australia. Because Australia has many different cultures and languages interwoven within the very fabric of the country, if every culture was to speak their native language/s in public settings our society would become exclusive and confusing. Compared to Hong Kong where English and Chinese (Cantonese, Putonghua, Mandarin) are the officially spoken languages, Australia could potentially have over 200 languages being commonly spoken. Therefore, as English is the most predominant, is it by default the official spoken language and all people who choose to immigrate to Australia must prove competency in English when sitting the Australian Citizenship test, “The test assesses your English language skills and what you know about Australia and Australian citizenship” (Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, 2019). With this in mind, it’s very interesting to look at how English impacts and shapes the way that societies interact and communicate. In order for me to interact with locals in Hong Kong in their own language I would need to master 2 to 3 languages, whereas if I was to talk with every culture in their native language in Australia, I would need to learn more than 200 languages. 

In Hong Kong during the 1970’s English was established in the “…creation of ‘modern’ Hong Kong society…” and even as ‘Chinese’ was seen to be an official language during this period, textbooks within classrooms were still written in English (Bacon-Shone & Bolton, 2008). This allowed for students in Hong Kong to be immersed in and live the English language. This is in contrast to Australia’s teaching and learning of secondary languages where, as outlined by the Western Australian Department of Education (n.d.), “Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian and Japanese” are taught in Primary Schools, but as an independent subject unrelated to other subjects. This approach allows for a broader scope of language and cultural learning however, non-language lessons are still taught in English and outside of the classroom it is hard to practice a foreign language in everyday life. 

Bilingual Road Signage Image retrieved from: https://yp.scmp.com/over-to-you/columns/article/108582/face-should-all-hong-kong-schools-be-bilingual

As can seen in this image, multilingualism is inherent in Hong Kong life, allowing English speakers easy access to day-to-day living in Hong Kong because signs, menus and even road markings are translated into English alongside the Cantonese characters. Our multicultural environment is something I cherish about Australian culture however, if we were to facilitate the same level of language incorporation as Hong Kong, it would be very difficult, if not impossible to include every nationality and language represented in Australia. Even if only 30 of the more common languages were adopted as official languages in Australia, exclusive cultural groups would be fostered and language barriers and hierarchies would arise, which would not be in the social interests of Australian communities. 

Bilingual Street Sign Image retrieved from: https://www.hk-victoria-peak.com/how-to-go-to-the-peak-hong-kong-from-mongkok.html

English is a unifying language that enables numerous nationalities to be included at both global and national levels. Hong Kong incorporates English alongside the official Chinese languages, as a secondary language, to deepen global interactions and participation of people in society. On the other hand, in Australia, English as the primary and predominant ‘official’ language in our society means that all Australians regardless of culture, background or primary language are able to communicate through a common language. 

Despite English being used in different ways its implementation in both countries is used to create one thing…

Inclusion for all.

References

Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. (2019). Immigration and Citizenship.          Retrieved from: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/test-and-interview

Australian Government Department of Education. (n.d.). Languages in Primary School.    Retrieved from: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/languages

J, Bacon-Shone & K, Bolton. (2008). Bilingualism and multilingualism in the HKSAR: language      surveys and Hong Kong’s changing linguistic profile. Open University of Hong Kong           Press: Kowloon, Hong Kong. Pp 25-51.

‘Putonghua or Cantonese to teach Chinese Language in Hong Kong?’

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

by Eunice Man

Putonghua or Chinese? Schools have been considering such question regarding the use of language as their medium of instruction to teach Chinese language since 2008. As the Hong Kong government launched the “Scheme to Support Schools in using Putonghua to teach the Chinese Language Subject” in the 2008-2009 school year, both primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong were supported to try out teaching the Chinese Language Subject in Putonghua. Till the 2015/16 school year, the percentage of primary schools in Hong Kong adopting the scheme was greater than that of secondary schools no matter they were having a full adoption or a mixed mode of using Putonghua to teach the Chinese language, as shown in the photo below.


Figure 1: A survey on the Use of Putonghua as Medium of Instruction to Teach Chinese Language in Schools of Hong Kong

  So, how well can Hong Kong people speak Putonghua when Cantonese is undoubtedly the “mother tongue” of Hong Kong people? Play the video and you’ll see: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4d3GF5Wvc0

Figure 2 : Hong Kong celebrities speaking Putonghua compilation

Clearly, from the Hong Kong celebrities, we can see that Hong Kong people are used to speaking Cantonese than Putonghua as they seldom use Putonghua to communicate when the mother language of Hongkongers is Cantonese. Since they don’t use Putonghua in their daily lives, how can they speak good Putonghua? And when they are unable to speak “good” Putonghua in a Cantonese-speaking society, speaking Putonghua becomes a fun activity to joke around. In Hong Kong, although Putonghua can be regarded as people’s second or third language, people don’t usually speak Putonghua in a serious manner but a fun tone. The video below is one typical example:

Figure 3: Hong Kong people being tested to speak Putonghua on street

This video challenges random Hongkongers to pronounce and guess the Chinese words by only looking at the Putonghua pinyin. Mostly, people are not confident in pronouncing the words out loud in Putonghua and they somehow are embarrassed and shy to speak the language. That’s why, they would rather regard speaking Putonghua as a jest as they won’t be using the language in daily lives. 

  In order to enhance the Putonghua speaking ability of Hongkongers and to perhaps facilitate the learning of the Chinese language, the government planned to educate the future generation with Putonghua since they are young. But, what are the pros and cons of the scheme?

  For the pro, obviously, using Putonghua as the medium of instructions at school can effectively raise the level of Putonghua speaking ability of students in Hong Kong. Being taught with Putonghua all day long at school, students can get used to listening and speaking the language and thus, they can better communicate with each other in Putonghua without feeling shame. They may even treat the language more seriously and stop speaking it like a joke.

  However, can students’ knowledge in the Chinese language really be enhanced by learning it through a different, or non-mother tongue language? 

  The fact is, Hong Kong people use Cantonese to communicate in everyday life. Compared to Putonghua, they are more familiar with Cantonese, and can understand things more easily in Cantonese than Putonghua. If students suddenly have to switch to another language to learn Chinese, they may not thoroughly understand the meanings or messages that the words or passages aim to bring about as there must be differences in the expression of meaning as well as pronunciation of words between the two languages. For example, the following picture shows the difference in pronunciation of the words 的，地，得 in Cantonese (red words) and Putonghua (blue words). As you can see, the pronunciation of the three words in Putonghua are the same while that in Cantonese are totally different. These words each stands for a specific meaning, however, they are pronounced as the same in Putonghua. Not being the mother tongue of Hongkongers, Putonghua might be confusing for students to express their feelings or opinions. This shows that Putonghua might not be a better language for Hongkongers to learn Chinese.


Figure 4: Example of difference in pronunciation of Cantonese and Putonghua

All in all, using Putonghua instead of Cantonese to teach the Chinese language seems to remain a controversy. However, I would say since Cantonese is the mother tongue of Hong Kong people, it would be best if students in Hong Kong could be taught in the language which they are most familiar with so that they can fully understand the meaning of words and passages written and spoken in Chinese. 

References

Language and a Hong Konger Identity

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

by Phoebe Ng

Language is a symbol of a civilized society; Hong Kong is no exception. Hong Kong is well known of its diversified culture, we could easily see tourists or visitors with different nationalities on the street, especially in some popular districts like Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Central. Hong Kong as well is an international commercial center where businessmen around the world would come for investments.  Therefore, it is very common to hear “你好” (Cantonese), “ni hao”(Mandarin) and “hello” in greetings as well as the three languages in railway (MTR) announcements. 

人们在横过旧香港的繁忙街道上。在香港斑马线上行走的人.
Picture credit: Bumble-Dee. (n.d.). https://cn.depositphotos.com/146599171/stock-photo-people-crossing-on-the-busy.html.

In the recent decades, the competitiveness in education industry in Hong Kong has increased greatly due to the fact that there are more people coming from Mainland, trying to get a seat in Hong Kong institutions, including kindergarten, primary, secondary and even tertiary sectors. Living under a more competitive environment, parents are believed to start training their children to be more outstanding. Learning a second or third language is one of their strategies. People who was born after the 1900s are encouraged to study more than one language in order to avoid elimination and to cope with the fast pace of the advanced society. Children in primary schools, and even kindergarten have started learning a second language besides their mother tongue—Cantonese. It is believed that people who learn more than one language in Hong Kong is more well-educated and may be able to get a well-paid job. English and Mandarin are therefore some of the top choices to be the second and third language of Hong Kong students. 

Our Mother Tongue

What about Cantonese?

Cantonese is a dialect rather than a language, it is used in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau at present. It is the mother tongue of most Hong Kongers after the handover since 1997. There are Cantopop developed later on. Apparently, Cantonese is the mother language that a Hong Konger must learn. Due to the fact that Mandarin is being heavily promoted in different parts in Mainland China after the communist had taken over in 1949, as a result, people are no longer familiar with Cantonese. To pass on the culture of Cantonese, as a Hong Konger, we have the responsibility to preserve Cantonese as a part of our daily life. It can A fun fact on Cantonese: Many Hong Kongers agree that using Cantonese, especially on foul languages can better express themselves and is succinct enough to express that specific feeling. Although Cantonese is a dialect, it is powerful as of a language that it also includes different kinds of sentence structures, its pronunciation may even be more complicated than other languages in most the worlds that includes 9 tones of a word. Cantonese does not only perform to be the symbol of local identity in Hong Kong but also the preservation of Chinese Language history. 

Why English?

It is no doubt that English is the international language of communication. By learning English, we can communicate and connect with people around the world easier, for example, Japanese, Australian, Canadian etc. Take a daily example, we can provide help for foreigners on street easily if we know English. We may also make friends with different backgrounds by communicating in English, especially in international schools and universities. Furthermore, English is the language of Business. As a part of the commercialized community, Hong Kong people should surely possess the ability to speak fluent English as their second language which would at the same time, enables Hong Kong businessmen to cooperate and make transactions. Moreover, most Hong Kong people also believed that learning English can help to find a well-paid job such as teachers, doctors, lawyers, translators…These all resulted that English is another language which a Hong Konger should master. 

Why Mandarin (Putonghua)?

After the hand-over in 1997, the HKSAR government has implemented the concept of “Bi-literacy” and “Tri-lingualism”. “Bi-literacy” includes Chinese Language, English Language while “Tri-lingualism” includes Cantonese, English and Putonghua. Other than English, Putonghua is another language that a Hong Konger should possess. Geographically, Hong Kong is very near to China where Mandarin is the main language used there. According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1997, Hong Kong is being returned to the China. As a part of China, the HKSAR believed that it is necessarily for all Hong Kongers to be able to speak fluent Putonghua. In the recent years, under the government policies, there are more and more mainlanders coming from Mainland China to Hong Kong for visiting and receiving education mainly. With the influence of the immigrants, schools are opening classes to suit the needs for Mandarin speakers, sooner, Putonghua becomes one of the common languages that one may come up with in daily life. With the reasons above, it is proved that Mandarin is a language that a Hong Konger should equip. 

References:

https://www.elc-schools.com/blog/4-reasons-why-learning-english-is-so-important/

“How HK has tried to promote bilingualism and also protect its Chinese dialect and compare it to how, in France, the government actively tried (and to a certain extent) succeeded in erasing most local dialects to only promote French.”

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

by Valentine Gelcys

In Hong Kong what language do we speak? English, Chinese, “Chinglish”? One of the many particularities of this city is its languages because indeed, the law recognizes two official languages : English (due to its past as a British Colony), and Chinese (due to its large Chinese population.) Recognizing these two languages allows then to maintain peace between the different communities, that feel properly acknowledged. But this situation is not the same in every country. If we compare the case of Hong Kong with the one of France, the place and use of language is completely different. Indeed, French is the only official language recognized by the Constitution. As the Article 2 states “The language of the Republic is French.”. France appears to have a different conception of language than in Hong Kong because having only one language is the tool to unite and maintain peace in France.

Map of languages and dialects spoken in France :
–       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Langues_de_la_France.svg

Does that mean that France had many languages to begin with? Indeed, yes! In a survey conducted in Metropolitan France in 1806, only 58,5% of the population talked what would be considered as French. That means that the rest of the population was talking in local dialects and regional languages which underlined a certain lack of unity in the country, when in a context of adversity with other European Nations, was beginning to pose a problem. With the beginning of the Third Republic in 1875 came a law that made elementary school public, free and mandatory with the main mean of communication being French. This created a whole new generation that was united by the same language. France did very little in order to protect its local dialects. In April 2001, the Minister of Education, Jack Lang, admitted formally that for more than two centuries, the political powers of the French government had repressed regional languages. It arrived to a point where today French is the mother tongue of 87% of its population, including immigrants from other countries, a clear change from 200 years ago.So how does that compare to Hong Kong? Language here is also a controversial topic because it is a strong marker of identity and power. Even though both English and Cantonese are the official languages, the latter is spoken by a vast majority, as much as 88.9%. Since Hong Kong has been returned to China in 1997, there is a growing concern amongst Cantonese speaking Hongkongers that their language will be replaced by Mandarin (or here called Putonghua). In  2012, after the introduction of the “Moral and National Education”, deemed pro-China, there was a strong concern that some of the classes usually given in Cantonese would be given in Putonghua. This was eagerly fought by new political parties and activist groups such as Scholarism. This illustrates how the government has a strong and influent say in language policies but also how people are adamant to protect their languages and dialects.

Students from Scholarism during an assembly against the Students from Scholarism during an assembly against the National Education at the Hong Kong government headquarters in August 2012.
–       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholarism#/media/File:Scholarism_2012.jpg

Another element that seems interesting in order to compare the place of language between France and Hong Kong is the “purity” of the language. In Hong Kong, code-switching is very popular. By definition, code-switching is a type of linguistic behaviour that juxtaposes “passages of speech belonging to two different grammatical systems or sub-systems, within the same exchange”. In Hong Kong, it is between English and Chinese, or also called Chinglish. However in France, code switching is almost nonexistent, mostly due to the existence of institutions such as the Acdémie Française created in the 17th century, which is very concerned in keeping what they consider to be standard French.

To conclude, language in Hong Kong and France is a very powerful tool to keep a certain unity and  coherence between the people but it is not being used the same way throughout time. While recognizing two official languages in Hong Kong was a way to keep peace and give recognition to hongkongers, imposing a single language in France was used for the same purpose. Furthermore, when Hong Kong is also known for its use of “Chinglish”, France on the other hand is well known for its obsession with trying to preserve its language through formal institutions such as the Académie Française.

Sources : 

Universities in Hong Kong use English as a medium of instruction

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

by Lorena Pan

After reading the Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66 given by Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I noticed the use of language in Hong Kong has a unique feature. It was estimated that a total of 5 605 100 persons were aged 6 – 65 at the time of enumeration. Analysed by mother tongue, 88.8% reported Cantonese, 3.9% Putonghua, 3.3% other Chinese dialects, 1.4% English and the remaining 2.6% other languages.

Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66
https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302662019XXXXB0100.pdf

Since I am an exchange student in Hong Kong, I found an interesting fact that universities in Hong Kong are using English as a medium. Is that a wise choice or not? In this article, I will demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages about this theme.

On the one hand, using English as a medium has plenty of benefits. For example, it can improve the university’s international level. Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have shown that Non-local students have continued to increase in recent years, Mainland students have been the majority of them and continue to rise every year.

The number of overseas students from other regions has increased significantly during the same period. In terms of exchange students, in 2018, the largest number of exchange students came from the United States, accounting for 20% of the total number of exchange students, followed by the Mainland and the United Kingdom, accounting for 12% and 11% respectively.

Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66
https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302662019XXXXB0100.pdf

Around the world, English is still an international and popular language, if the universities want to improve their global cultural exchange and influence,  they need to use English as a medium to fulfil the numbers and percentage of international students.

According to Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66 , of employed persons aged 15 – 65 (excluding persons with hearing or speech difficulty), 25.4%indicated that it was necessary for them to learn and further study Cantonese, spoken English or Putonghua for the sake of work. Among them, 79.1% cited English as the spoken language that they would like to learn and further study most, followed by Putonghua (16.7%) and Cantonese (4.2%).

Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66
https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302662019XXXXB0100.pdf

Of employed persons aged 15 – 65 (excluding persons with visual difficulty), 24.1% indicated that it was necessary for them to learn and further study written Chinese or English for the sake of work. Among them, 94.9% cited English as the written language that they would like to learn and further study most. The remaining cited Chinese (5.1%).

Thematic Household Survey Report No. 66
https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302662019XXXXB0100.pdf

As a result, using English as a medium in universities can give the students much more time and space to prepare for their career.

On the other hand, using English as a medium in universities also has a great deal of disadvantages. For many student in Hong Kong cannot afford the high payment for extra English learning courses so they cannot get enough scores to enter universities to study. Even though they enter the universities, they still could strongly unfamiliar to study. In addition, the splendid culture cannot be inherit anymore. The ability to inherit the customs and culture of homeland has not been formed. Every culture has its own charm. If they lose the opportunity to touch their own great customs and culture, then they could not inherit them.

Tang Enjia, Dean of Confucius Institute, wrote in the Journal of Hong Kong Teachers’ Center in 2002 that Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and Spain are places with rich people and developed science and technology. They are among the winners in international business competition, and they also use their native language as the main medium. Relatively speaking, some countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, etc., have been ruled by the colonial government, their traditional culture has been lost, and foreign languages have been adopted, but they have not played a role in international competition.  

Therefore, people still have debate and discussion about using English in universities of Hong Kong. From my personal perspective, using English as a medium is a special signal of Hong Kong that can link the east and west, and to promote the development of the diverse world, but we cannot ignore the importance of the home tongue at the same time.

I recommend you a relaxing and interesting video about problems of using English as a medium in universities of Hong Kong:

The different way historical and political culture influences language between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

by Amber Liu

As we all know, language can represent culture. It is related to historical backgrounds and common experiences, and these aspects, in reverse, create their own words as culture. (Robert, 2018). Because of political issues, we can not ignore the linguistic distinctions between Hong Kong and Mainland China. Nowadays, Hong Kong people speak both Cantonese and English while people in Mainland China mainly speak Chinese in their daily life. In this post, I would like to focus on the different ways historical culture influences language between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Watch a short video on Hong Kong’s history here

The reason why Hong Kong became a special administrative region is it became a colony in the 19th century. In short, during that time, China was a weak country that could not resist the invasion. After being lost to the United Kingdom in First and Second Opium War, three important treaties were signed, which changed Hong Kong’s history, including language. These treaties are named the Treaty of Nanking (1842), the Treaty of Peking(1860) and the Second Convention of Peking(1898). In addition, in the three treaties mentioned above, Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded while the New Territories was leased for 99 years respectively. 

Officers signing the Treaty of Nanking (1842)
Picture credit: https://Baidu.com

Because of these historical factors, after that, the condition of Hong Kong began to change. For the language aspect, because HK was taken over by the UK, English was widely used in HK during that time, which lasted more than 150 years. However, HK was attached to Guangdong Province originally and Cantonese was their own language. After becoming a colony, English was widely used in Hong Kong and after HK was returned to China, there was a big dispute about whether schools should use English or not to educate students. I think there is no doubt that as time goes by, time has made trail on languages. At present, Hong Kong people speak both Cantonese and English. In addition, code-mixing is also a remarkable phenomenon in HK. People tend to use a soft way, combing Cantonese and English when they are speaking because most people master both languages. 

The chat records between my local group mates and me
Picture credit: Author’s own

Politics is another factor that affects the languages of Hong Kong and Chinese. For mainland China, the government ruled that the only official language is Mandarin, which is a representation of authority. Therefore, although there are over 80 kinds of dialects, in formal occasions, everyone should listen to or speak Mandarin. For Hong Kong, after the handover to China, the government of mainland China and Hong Kong advocated “Bi-literacy and Tri-lingual,” which means that people should write English and Chinese(literacy) and speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin (lingual). What’s more, literacy also includes two kinds of Chinese: traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. The effects were quite good. More and more people are familiar with simplified Chinese and most schools opened Mandarin courses so that most of youth people can use Mandarin to do daily communication. In my view, not only communicating in the university but also shopping in different plaza, people can really speak Mandarin fluently. Overall, these are situations that how politics influence language in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Some example words used for code-mixing
Picture credit: https://Baidu.com

Overall, in this blog post, I have focused on the historical and political culture that influences language between Hong Kong and mainland China. As a student from mainland China, in my view, history and politics do have significant effect on the languages, assisting HK to become an international region, not only for finance but also for other aspects. In my life, I can feel that different historical and political situations affect languages in different ways significantly.

References

Brent, S. (2018). How language reflects culture& affects meaning. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-language-reflects-culture-affects-meaning.html.

Role of Government and Education in Hong Kong’s English Proficiency

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

By Simone Ng

English has been the most commonly-used lingua franca cross-culturally in the world. As Hong Kong had been ruled as a British colony for over one hundred years, English has played a prominent and significant role on myriad aspects of the development in the territory, such as education, politics and society. Owing to such special socio-economic and historical background, and the language policy, English has been our official language and has been set as a compulsory language subject in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Hong Kong and used as medium of instruction. Even though Hong Kong people always pride themselves as the leading cosmopolitans, and “biliteracy and trilingualism” has been promoted as the education aim by the Education Bureau for years, the English proficiency of Hongkongers has always been criticised as unsatisfactory. The recent EF report even reveals that Hong Kong has been outpaced by other international metropolises in English proficiency, such as Singapore, Shanghai and Malaysia.  

“Students doing exams in the classroom”
Photo: Orange News. Retrieved from  http://www.orangenews.hk/pic/0/10/16/07/10160756_963806.jpg

When it comes to the issue of English deficiency in Hong Kong, the education culture of rote learning and exam-oriented, and overemphasis on “Educated English” have been major causes of the problem. As the education in Hong Kong places much emphasis on surface learning, students have fostered the habit of only reciting and repeating materials through rote memorization, neither understanding the meaning of it nor the linkage between the newly-taught information and previously-learnt knowledge. Besides, since Hong Kong education is mainly exam-oriented, the importance of exam skills far outweighs the original purpose of learning. Students tend to spend hours to read sample essays. Yet, the reasons for viewing piles of articles and practising exam drills are merely due to the enrichment of linguistic structure and implications, including vocabulary and enhancement of sentence structures, instead of the curiosity about the language. Consequently, when it comes to daily usage of English, it appears to be difficult for students to use native phrases to communicate. Meanwhile, this is also the result of overemphasis on “Educated English”, which is known as “Standard English” as well. Since there is only a limited selection of expressions in this particular type of English in the school curriculum, these phrases and sentences can only be used in certain contexts, such as academic and formal writing, instead of other purposes in daily settings. This hampers the understandings of Hong Kong students towards distinct forms of written and spoken English. Therefore, the education culture has adversely affected the English standard in Hong Kong. 

“HKSAR Government press conference”.
Photo: Sam Tsang. Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/
comment/letters/article/
3015272/seven-myths-about-hong-kong-extradition-bill

Aside from this, the inadequate English environment has been another main factor contributing to declining English proficiency in Hong Kong. Although English is Hong Kong’s second official language, most public speeches and verbal announcements are given in Cantonese by the authorities, while English is only used occasionally, such as when answering questions from press asked in English. Due to the trickle-down effect, the general public tend to speak in Cantonese instead of English during their conversation, since they are used to watching TV news and receiving messages from the government in their mother tongue, Cantonese. Without comprehensive and sufficient usage of English in daily life, people have gradually developed a fear of English. As a result, without adequate practice, people avoid using English due to their lack of confidence in the language. This will eventually form an unhealthy English-learning environment and inhibit language proficiency in Hong Kong.

To deal with the issue, several prompt measures should be taken by the government. First, the officials should arouse public awareness towards the vital importance of English. Decent English proficiency is in fact the key to success in Hong Kong, as it lifts our competitive edge in the global arena. Without this benefit, transnational finance companies may retreat from Hong Kong and the city will lose its reputation of being an international cosmopolitan. Being a role model of using English actively in Government’s official press conferences can help promote the language through propaganda. By doing so, people will finally realise the essential role of English played in the development in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the Education Bureau should consider the reform of the English curriculum, including the syllabus, and way of teaching and assessments, since the current syllabus remains tedious and out-of-date. Therefore, officers in the department should redesign the curriculum through including more self-directed learning, in-depth reading and language used in daily settings so as to equip students to become native second-language learners. 

To conclude, the education culture, overemphasis on Standard English and inadequate English environment have been the culprits of deteriorating English standards in Hong Kong. To sustain our global competitiveness and reputation, it is therefore high time for the government took immediate actions before Hong Kong’s English standard becomes more dwindling. 

The Status Difference between EMI Schools and CMI Schools

Posted on by Benedict J. L. ROWLETT

By Veronica Chan

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Schools that use English as the main medium for instruction (EMI schools) are more favoured by parents than schools that used Chinese as the main medium for instruction (CMI). Parents normally choose EMI schools over CMI schools. There is a status difference between CMI schools and EMI schools where EMI schools are winning against CMI schools in terms of reputation and prestige. There are several reasons behind the status superiority that EMI schools have over CMI schools in Hong Kong, including the rising demand for English and the general misconception that EMI schools create better results. 

Due to internationalization and globalized economy, many workplaces require English as the medium of communication. Multinational Corporations in Hong Kong and China are looking for English-speaking candidates and English is used frequently in the workplace even though the workers share a common language aside from English. Hong Kong is known as an international city, uniting different cultures and languages. It is a must for people, such as waiters and sales to speak the English tongue. Driven by the economic environment in Hong Kong and the culture of Hong Kong, the need for English in the workplace is high. People that speak English well are valued in the workplace. The rising demand for English in Hong Kong is clear to the parents and therefore, EMI schools are very much sought after by the parents. By sending their children to EMI schools, parents may ensure their children have good English exposure and improve their children’s English. Therefore, benefitting their children in their future workplace and facilitating their children’s chances to earn a better job and to have a brighter future.

Another main reason for the status difference between EMI schools and CMI schools is the general belief that EMI schools create better results and provide more effective schooling due to having English as the medium of instruction. As parents choose EMI schools over CMI schools, EMI schools generally receive more students with multiples talents, including Arts, Sports and Academic. Because of that, EMI schools can reap the best crops out of the student population and therefore, EMI schools can produce better results through having more academically talented students. It can be seen through the release of DSE results. Out of the 12 top scorers in DSE, only one top scorer comes from a CMI school. Aside from EMI schools having more talented students, EMI schools also have more resources and professional teachers than a lot of CMI schools. It is not hard to guess which medium of instruction schools have better results in public exams. Due to the excellent result shown in public exam, the parents have more faith in EMI schools and therefore the competition for EMI school places becomes tight and EMI schools can choose the more academically talented students. It is a cycle which leads to an eventual status difference between CMI and EMI.

Another minor reason for favouring EMI schools over CMI schools is the main medium of instruction in universities around the world. All parents have high hopes for their children and would like to help them pave their way to a brighter future. English as the medium of instruction is inevitable in tertiary education around the world. The same medium used in EMI schools and universities around the world helps students studying in EMI schools to adapt to university education easier. By studying in EMI schools, the gap between secondary school and the university is narrowed, giving students an head start during their tertiary education, for example students studying chemistry in CMI schools will have a hard time memorising the English names of the chemicals compared to EMI students. This advantage may attract students and parents alike. This also makes EMI schools be more sought out than CMI schools in Hong Kong.

Even though the government have tried to encourage mother tongue teaching and allowing schools to fine-tune their medium of instruction, this does not affect the status difference between EMI schools and CMI schools. It is a common belief that English is a more superior language than other languages due to the vast population that can use English for communication. It is a belief that is firmly implanted and shared in different nations. Due to the number of reasons mentioned above and the failure of the government’s policy and encouragement of mother-tongue schooling, EMI schools have maintained a more superior standing than CMI schools in Hong Kong throughout the recent years.

Further information:

https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-english-be-the-global-language-is-there-a-factor-that-makes-english-superior-to-other-languages