Is Cantonese still taught in Hong Kong?

English was taught in Hong Kong’s schools before 1997 because Hong Kong was a colony of the United Kingdom. The government revived teaching in Cantonese during the early 1980s, but by the end of 1994, only 20% of secondary schools had adopted Cantonese as the language medium of teaching.

Is Cantonese required in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong’s official languages are English and Chinese. The most commonly spoken Chinese dialect is Cantonese, but Mandarin – the official language of China, known in Hong Kong as Putonghua – is gaining in popularity.

Does Hong Kong use Cantonese or Mandarin?

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. Previously, English was the second most spoken language.

Why does Hong Kong speak 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.

Is China banning Cantonese?

Protests have erupted in Hong Kong and Guangzhou over a plan by Guangzhou officials to ban Cantonese – the language of southern China – from prime-time television. Some Cantonese speakers say the move is an attack against their culture.

Is Mandarin replacing Cantonese in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong’s leader on Thursday dismissed a controversy over the use of Mandarin in public schools and whether Cantonese could be considered the city’s mother tongue as a “non-issue”, telling legislators her administration had no plan to change its policy on the language used to teach.

Is Cantonese a dying language?

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.

Is Cantonese dying 2021?