Hong Kong residents defend right to speak Cantonese

Updated August 3, 2010 21:12:32

Hundreds of people have taken part in joint protests in Hong Kong and China's southern province of Guangdong to defend the right to speak Cantonese. The dialect is spoken by the majority of people in both regions. But Chinese authorities want prime time broadcasting in Guangdong to be in mainstream Mandarin - instead of Cantonese.

Presenter: Christine Webster
Speakers: Kelvin Kong, protester, Hong Kong; James Han, protester, Hong Kong; Feng Chongyi, associate professor, China Research Centre, University of Technology, Sydney; Emily Lau, member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and vice chairperson, Democratic Party, Hong Kong

WEBSTER: Cantonese speakers say they feel their language is being increasingly marginalised on the mainland.

Last week, hundreds of people protested in Guangzhou against a plan to switch major television shows from Cantonese to Mandarin, also known as Putonghua, ahead of the Asian games in November.

In Hong Kong, on Sunday citizens concerned about the fate of Cantonese decided to make their views known.

Among the protests were a number of students, including Kelvin Kong from Guangdong.

KONG: You don't have to give up your mother language to speak Mandarin right? So you can keep both.

WEBSTER: Protester James Han says locals of all ages in Hong Kong and Guangong want to preserve their language.

HAN: This is an issue not only young people are concerned with. I believe all the people in Guangzhou, all the people in Hong Kong, who speak Cantonese, who believe that Cantonese is a good, rich and colourful language, should come out and protest against the proposed policy.

WEBSTER: Emily Lau, member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and vice chairperson of the Democratic Party, says it's understandable that locals are upset about the Chinese government's plan to broadcast major television programmes in the province in Mandarin instead of Cantonese.

LAU: In Hong Kong, the Cantonese dialect is very important because almost the vast majority of the seven million people here speak Cantonese, we are Cantonese. But of course there are people from other provinces, but mainly we speak Cantonese. And of course in Guangdong they all speak Cantonese and it is a part of the cultural heritage.

WEBSTER: In Guangdong and Hong Kong most locals speak both Cantonese and Mandarin.

But Feng Chongyi, associate professor from the China Research Centre at the University of Technology Sydney, says often Cantonese people feel marginalised by Mandarin speaking government officials.

FENG: There's always pressure from Mandarin speaking officials who want to marginalise this so-called local dialect, which [people] identify with and value very much. And the local Cantonese are very proud of their language.

WEBSTER: Last month, Cantonese speaking locals were upset when a plaque was removed from a statue of their Ming dynasty national hero, Yuan Chonghuan, in Guangdong.

Emily Lau says it is understandable they were outraged and Chinese authorities should show more respect to the Cantonese culture and language.

She says the Chinese government needs to reassure Cantonese people it does not want to suppress them by changing the programmes from Cantonese to Mandarin.

LAU: I think, it is very important to respect the local culture, the dialect, that's the major starting point. But if you have some programmes in Putonghua, that is okay, and if you put subtitles to the programme, then people can read the words - I think there are many ways. And China claims to be multiracial, multicultural, so you have to respect the local language. So, any attempt to show that you're trying to ride roughshod over local sensitivities could result in a big controversy.

WEBSTER: Ms Lau says too much emphasis is being placed on the need to speak Putonghua.

LAU: I heard on the radio here that when they recruit people in Canton they want to recruit people who can speak Putonghua. So if you only speak Cantonese you may not even be able to get good jobs. So, I think this is a very sensitive thing.