Is it offensive to speak Mandarin in Hong Kong?

No one would be offended by Mandarin. People in HK are offended by (perceived or real) heavy handed policy imposed from the Mainland and some badly behaving mainland tourists, not people speaking Mandarin.

Can most Hong Kong people speak Mandarin?

Hong Kong’s recent census report states that Mandarin is the second language most spoken on the island following Cantonese. Cantonese remains dominant with 96\% percent. As for Mandarin, 48\% of Hong Kong’s population can speak it, compared to 46\% of population that can speak English.

Can someone speaking Cantonese understand Mandarin?

No, they are completely different languages. Although Cantonese and Mandarin have many similarities, they are not mutually intelligible. This means that, presuming one has no significant exposure or training, a speaker of Mandarin will understand little to nothing of Cantonese and vice-versa.

Is Cantonese dying?

According to these experts, Cantonese isn’t dying at all. For now. “From a linguistic point of view, it’s not endangered at all. It’s doing quite well compared to other languages in the China region,” said Mr Lau.

Why does Hong Kong use Cantonese?

After the British acquired Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories from the Qing in 1841 (officially 1842) and 1898, large numbers of merchants and workers came to Hong Kong from the city of Canton, the main centre of Cantonese. Cantonese became the dominant spoken language in Hong Kong. The …

Can you learn both Mandarin and Cantonese?

The tones are crucial to conveying your meaning. If you decide it makes sense to learn both Mandarin and Cantonese, most people recommend learning Mandarin first before conquering another Chinese dialect. It’s interesting that both dialects use pretty much the same characters for writing though.

Why is Mandarin and Cantonese so different?

Both the Mandarin and Cantonese dialects are tonal languages where one word has many meanings depending on the pronunciation and intonation. Cantonese has six tones, whereas Mandarin has just four. Cracking the tones are said to be the hardest part of learning Chinese.

What is the problem with Mandarin in Hong Kong?

The problem is how many Hongkongers are able to speak Mandarin. Over years they grows under Cantonese and English. Cantonese is their mother tongue, while English is the result of history (they went through Britain colonization). People prefer to use mother tongue in their motherland.

Do Hongkongers need to learn English to be successful?

There continues to be a need for Hongkongers to learn English, but Cantonese and Mandarin undeniably dominate the business world in the city today The addition of Mandarin as a third language is indirectly increasing the hardship of students with regard to learning English. Photo: Raymond Mak

Is the addition of Mandarin as a third language making English learning difficult?

The demands of sharpening one’s English writing and speaking skills may not have changed that much over the years, but the addition of Mandarin as a third language is indirectly increasing the hardship of students with regard to learning English.

When the Chinese try to speak English there is there?

When the Chinese try to speak English, there is Chinglish. When the German try to speak English, there is Denglish. When the French try to speak English, there is Anglo-Norma- uh no Franglais.