Communication Skills

 

I have been here nearly three years and have learnt very little Cantonese.

 

I can get home – I know my address, suburb and apartment block number.  I can say this one and stop! Most Taxi drivers who speak English will congratulate me on my pronunciation.  I am told my pronunciation is very nice and that’s because I’ve had years of practice.  I have attempted to learn, up the hill, to the left and private road.  But my brain just seems to cope with the address and that’s it.

 

For nearly three years I have been using the wrong form of thank you.  I was taught the polite way by one of the guards only to learn I was saying the thank you, you should use when receive money.  Great mate!

 

For five months I had a Mandarin teacher.  I was told Mandarin was easier to learn than Cantonese. Cantonese has 9 tones, Mandarin only three.  But I stopped the lessons once I learned the most helpful bit that being: “How much is that” and how to negotiate in RMB prices.  I needed to go bargain shopping in Beijing.  A useful tool I can assure any expat wife!

 

My children are learning Mandarin and school and I believe it is working because recently one of them pointed to a Chicken in the market and gave the Mandarin name for it.  Totally took me by surprise but made me realise that perhaps they are learning more than I thought.

 

They go to school with other local children; it is an English based school.  I allow certain television programs to be viewed in Cantonese.  So even though we are not sure, my husband and I believe that they must know some basic words.  My husband certainly distinguishes the swear words, having pointed out that that is what one of our neighbours was swearing when our children made too much noise in the foyer.  I think he has learnt these in office conversation class II.

 

I really have no excuse for not wishing to learn more.  I have the time, some might say, I have the ability to learn languages as I speak two other foreign languages. I have little need now days for my Dutch or German. I am known to reprimand my children in Dutch. More recently here when I was conversing with a German in German he asked if I was Dutch.  Apparently my German has a Dutch accent.   Funny that.

 

So all in all after nearly three years in Hong Kong I decided a long time ago I just needed to know in Cantonese, where I live so I can always get home.  At home I have English TV programs, videos, cable channels, newspapers & friends so I have no need to learn Cantonese.    But I could do with a good bit of SBS to keep up my other languages.

 

Xiajian Saskia