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Can you get by in Hong Kong with Mandarin?

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  1. #31

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    Wow what a lot of pathetic responses to this very good question. I'm a native English speaker and can get on fine in English. I know about 10 words of Cantonese and have been here 9 years and live in the NT. So ignore anyone who says canto is essential. It's not. However you do need "something" to supplement English to get stuff done. I have used my Limited Mandarin from time to time and always been understood. Mostly though I use my mobile phone and bring up pictures or words and point. Body language will also take you a long way... especially done with a smile. I have mainland staff who use Mandarin and it seems to be well understood. I liken canto vs Mandarin to French vs Italian. If you speak and read one it takes you a long way in the other.
    Welcome to HK.

    gorillaMS13 likes this.

  2. #32

    Finally someone who knows what they are talking about.


    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    Wow what a lot of pathetic responses to this very good question. I'm a native English speaker and can get on fine in English. I know about 10 words of Cantonese and have been here 9 years and live in the NT. So ignore anyone who says canto is essential. It's not. However you do need "something" to supplement English to get stuff done. I have used my Limited Mandarin from time to time and always been understood. Mostly though I use my mobile phone and bring up pictures or words and point. Body language will also take you a long way... especially done with a smile. I have mainland staff who use Mandarin and it seems to be well understood. I liken canto vs Mandarin to French vs Italian. If you speak and read one it takes you a long way in the other.
    Welcome to HK.

  3. #33

    I didn't ask you I asked si0001

    Quote Originally Posted by Gatts:
    I have lived there for 2 years straight.

  4. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by gorillaMS13:
    I didn't ask you I asked si0001
    Does it matter? It answers your question more then enough to illustrate Cantonese isn't going away anytime soon.

  5. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by gorillaMS13:
    How much time have you spent in Guangzhou?
    I have lived 3/4 days per week in Guangzhou for the last 4 years.
    Gatts likes this.

  6. #36

    It does matter because he is confirming something without knowing the facts just because he spends a lot of time in Guangzhou. I never said it is going away completely but will become less and less over the years. Majority of education in guangzhou and the canton region is in Mandarin, 75% of elementary schools in HK are in Mandarin. Both the Chinese and HK government are pushing to phase out Cantonese in Schools. If it weren't for HK, Cantonese would not exist anymore in guangzhou. It most probably will not disappear completely but it will definitely be spoken less and less. Not gonna happen in a couple of years as I have suggested but it will definitely happen, that was the whole point of the discussion anyway.

    Quote Originally Posted by Gatts:
    Does it matter? It answers your question more then enough to illustrate Cantonese isn't going away anytime soon.

  7. #37

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    In what way would cantonese not exist in guangzhou if not for HK? I don't see how these two are related.


  8. #38

    Because Cantonese is the official language in HK and its keeping the language alive.

    Quote Originally Posted by si0001:
    In what way would cantonese not exist in guangzhou if not for HK? I don't see how these two are related.

  9. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by gorillaMS13:
    Blah.
    At least you'll make good friends with DeletedUser.
    chuckster007 and rickyross like this.

  10. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by gorillaMS13:
    Because Cantonese is the official language in HK and its keeping the language alive.
    I don't get it.

    So if a city of 7 million people cease to use Cantonese as an official language then the 50 million people in Guangdong province would no longer speak Cantonese?

    Please explain this logic to me.
    rickyross and emx like this.