Fading Voices of Hakka In Hong Kong
APPENDIX :
TYPESCRIPTS OF THE INTERVIEWS
Interview 1 : Ms. Cheung
Q1: When and how did you learn to speak Hakka as your first langauge (Parents, schools, scoail milieu)?
A1: I learnt to speak Hakka from my parents since I was born.
Q2: When and why did you learn to speak another language other than Hakka (School cirrculum, econmic advantages, to conform to the dominat Cantonese group in society)?
A2: I learnt to speak Cantonese at the age of around 11 to 12 and was educated in Cantonese at 14 years old for 2 years. Everybody around me spoke Cantonese and therefore I had to learnt how to speak Cantonese in order to communciate with them.
Q3: How would you idenify yourself as a Chinese speaking Hakka in Hong Kong (Hakka in Hong Kong, Cantonese in China, etc.)?
A3: Yes, I idenify myself as a Chinese speaking Hakka. You can also say I am a Hakka in China. As living in Hong Kong for more than 60 years, I can also say I am a Cantonese.
Q4: How do see your own perishing language in terms of (usefulness, acceptability, economic benefits,social status)?
A4: It’s okay, since the dominat langauge in Hong Kong is Chinese, Cantonese to be specific and Hakka is and will always be the minority langauge in Hong Kong. I only speak Hakka to other Hakkas but not Cantonese in Hong Kong. As considering the language economically, I think it depends on the boss, if the boss is a Hakka, it may give you some flexibility. I don’t think there is much social status associated with the language as in Hong Kong, everyone speaks different langauges. It is also due to the fact that people speaking Hakka in the Walled Village are usually rich.
Q5: What would you do and feel when you hear someone speaking Hakka?
A5: I won’t feel anything if I hear any strangers speaking in Hakka. ‘Causeafter all, they are only strangers to me and I won’t feel sense of intimacy.
Q6: How many friends who can speak in Hakka do you have in Hong Kong? Do you communicate with each other in Hakka once you meet?
A6: I have around 30 acquaintance speaking Hakka inclduing around 10 Hakka-speaking neighbors. We sometimes speak Hakka with each other. Usually, I speak Hakka only when they speak in Hakka at the first place, if they start the conversation ikn Cantonese, then I will speak in Cantonese. When I gather with my friends and some distant relatives, we often use Hakka to communicate.
Q7: How often do you speak Hakka recently?
A7: I almost speak Hakka everyday, normally with my neoghbors.
Q8: How do you feel about your progeny (children, grandchildren) having little knowledge about Hakka?
A8: It doesn’t really matter to me and I don’t care about it ‘cause they won’t get in touch with Hakka people anyway.
Q9: If possible, would you like to send your progeny to institutions where Hakka is supported? Why? And how about being a bilingual? (Hakka-Cantonese; Hakka-English)
A9: It’s very difficulty to find schools supporting Hakka in Hong Kong. If it is possible, I will still send my children to school teaching in Cantonese because it is the dominant langauge in Hong Kong and very few Hongkongers speak Hakka. However, it will be best if they also learn to speak Hakka as the more languages you knoew, the brighter prospect you have.
Q10: Do you have access to mass media in Hakka (like TV show/ radio/ website)? If yes, How often are you exposed to them? If no, How do you feel about the lack Hakka media in Hong Kong?
A10: Normally in Hakka village in New Territories, and sometimes I notice there is Hakka in TVB Jades’s program.There are too Hakka songs being played on the radio sometimes, espeically during Chinese New Year.
Q11: How would you describe the way people see you speaking Hakka or Cantonese with a Hakka accent?
A11: Nothing. Because they are strangers to me and they won’t even recongize I can speak Hakka. I don’t care how thry think. I don’t speak with a Hakka accent and people won’t know I’m a Hakka if I don’t tell them.
Q12: Overall, what do you think of the language policy in Hong Kong? ( Are you satisfied )
A12: I’m satisfied with the trilingual education as people will become gurn in everything. I don’t really care no one can speak Hakka since, personally, I think one who can work and make money is a smart man.
Q1: When and how did you learn to speak Hakka as your first langauge (Parents, schools, scoail milieu)?
A1: I learnt to speak Hakka since I was born because I am a Hakka.
Q2:When and why did you learn to speak another language other than Hakka (School cirrculum, econmic advantages, to conform to the dominat Cantonese group in society)?
A2: When I was educated in school, I was required to speak Cantonese. As for the other langages, I learnt them during work for finding a job and making a living in Hong Kong.
Q3: How would you idenify yourself as a Chinese speaking Hakka in Hong Kong (Hakka in Hong Kong, Cantonese in China, etc.)?
A3: I am very happy being a Hakka. I don’t feel much discrimation against Hakka in the society and being a competent Hakka speaker dosen’t give me much advatages in looking for a job. However, I reckon it is no harm to learn more languages.
Q4: What would you do and how would you feel when you hear someone speaking Hakka?
A4: It’s a bliss seeing people speaking Hakka. I will be wanting to chat them up and tell that I’m also a Hakka.
Q5: How many friends who can speak in Hakka do you have in Hong Kong? Do you communicate with each other in Hakka once you meet?
A5: I only have few friends who can speak Hakka, but my family are Hakkar. While communicating with my family, we occasionally speak in Hakka, but mainly code-mixing between Hakka and Cantonese. Speaking Cantonese has been my will since I was young.
Q6: How often do you speak Hakka recently?
A6: I seldom speak Hakka now ‘cause after all, Hong Kong is not a Hakka-speaking environment.
Q7: How do you feel about your progeny (children, grandchildren) having little knowledge about Hakka?
A7: It doesn’t really matter that my children can’t speak Hakka. It is because being able to speak in Hakka doesn’t make a diference and have a influence on them.
Q8: If possible, would you like to send your progeny to institutions where Hakka is supported? Why? And how about being a bilingual? (Hakka-Cantonese; Hakka-English)
A8: I think I would probably not send my children to schools teaching Hakka ‘cause Hakka is not a language recongized by the public. As for being a bilingual in Hakka, it doesn’t matter.
Q9:Do you have access to mass media in Hakka (like TV show/ radio/ website)? If yes, How often are you exposed to them? If no, How do you feel about the lack Hakka media in Hong Kong?
A9: No, I don’t think I have seen any media in Hakka. I don’t have an opinion on the lack of Hakka media in Hong Kong since Hakka is not learnt by the majority of the socity and they don’t even understand Hakka. So, I don’t have much to say about that.
Q10: How would you describe the way people see you speaking Hakka or Cantonese with a Hakka accent?
A10: They will see me as someone inpolite, without proper manners.
Q11: Overal, what do you think of the language policy in Hong Kong? ( Are you satisfied )
A11: I’m satisfied with the current language education policy in Hong Kong and I don’t see any problem with it.
Interview 3 : Mr. Ng
Q1: Since your mother is a native speaker of Hakka, are you also a compentent user of Hakka?
A1: No, I don’t know how to speak Hakka.
Q2: What is the reason why you are not acquianted with knowledge of Hakka?
A2: It’s because I’ve never been education to speak Hakka and I am not exposed to the language. We don’t even speak Hakka at home.
Q3: If you have a choice, Would you take an active role to learn Hakka from your mother?
A3: At this age, I don’t think I will. ‘Cause, after all, the language is not something I was exposed to at a young age, there is incentive for me to learn Hakka
Q4: How do see the langauge Hakka in terms of (usefulness, acceptability, economic benefits,social status) in Hong Kong?
A4: Considering the language from a cultural perspective, I think Hakka is a cultural heritage to be perserved. However, if seeing the langauge in terms of its practicality, since Hong Kong is a Chinese community with a dominat use of Cantonese, people opt for learning English and Chinese for linguistic enrichment. And I don’t see its benefit in granting advantages in view of social mobility.
Q5: Do you havve friends speaking Hakka or othe dialect?
A5: A few, but they are not from the Guangdong Province.
Q6: How would you feel when you hear your friends speaking in dialects?
A6: It’s newfangled. I won’t feel uncomfortable as long as they don’t ask me to respond in their dialect. After all, it’s their culture.
Q7: If possible, would you like to send your progeny to institutions where Hakka is supported? Why? And how about being a bilingual? (Hakka-Cantonese; Hakka-English)
A7: At this point, I don’t see any incentive for me to make such a choice. If my childern are to learn a third language, I would probably ask them to learn lagnauges like Japanese, thoses used in Middle East, but not particularly Hakka. It is because I don’t think they will want to learn Hakka, especially when the langauge is not interesting to them.
Q8: Overal, what do you think of the language policy in Hong Kong? ( Are you satisfied )
A8: It’s totally rubbish! For the mother tongue teaching in Hong Kong, they should either switch to only English or only Chinese. The distinction of EMI and CMI schools virtually creates a hierarchy and that English enjoys a more prestigious status than Chinese. ‘Cause, it is undeniably that schools have a higher standard on students’ English proficiency, especially when it comes to access to higher education. Other than that, I have heard that the standard of our so-called “written language” is actually based on Beijing’s language, Putonghua. Maybe, it’ll be better if we learn classical Chinese (文言文), or Cantonese with a foundation of Cantonese for the written language.