[EDLING:420] Teach Chinese Using Putonghua Rather Than Cantonese?

[Francis M Hult]

http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/LPRU/newsarchive/Art4896.txt

Should Secondary Schools Teach Chinese Using Putonghua
Rather Than Cantonese?

South China Morning Post
Oct. 4, 2004
Face Off
3

Pulcheria Chung, 18 St Mary's Canossian College

As the official language of China, Putonghua not only
reflects our national identity, but is also an
international language. As China - our motherland - is now
part of the World Trade Organisation, Hong Kong will
definitely benefit from its involvement.

In addition, the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement
signed between Hong Kong and the mainland has opened up our
city to new markets there.

If Hong Kong people were unable to master Putonghua, we
would not be able to make full use of these valuable
opportunities.

There is an urgent need to equip students with Putonghua
skills. The best way to achieve this is to make Putonghua
the medium of instruction. It would allow us to be immersed
in a Putonghua-speaking environment. At present, local
students in general have only one Putonghua lesson is week,
which is not enough.

An increasing number of schools are using Putonghua to
teach Chinese and students in these schools have shown an
improvement in their Chinese language skills.

Putonghua will become part of life in Hong Kong. Learning
the language in secondary schools will help prepare us for
the future.

Oliver Kwan, 17 Delia School of Canada

I don't believe that using Putonghua to teach Chinese in
local schools is a wise plan.

It would not only be confusing, it would destroy Hong
Kong's culture.

Cantonese is the most commonly used language in Hong Kong,
and because of this, it should be the language used to
teach Chinese. Using Putonghua would not offer great
benefits because, after all, the course material is the
same.

Students would get confused. It's not worth the trouble.

It is helpful to know Putonghua, but using it as a language
of instruction might be too demanding.

Let us not forget that almost every student is learning
English. Forcing them to learn a third language at the same
time might be too much. No other place in the world tries
to teach two languages simultaneously in addition to the
mother tongue, and for good reason.

Hong Kong and Guangzhou are different from the rest of
China. Forcing Putonghua on students would ruin the unique
culture that has developed here. It might put an end to the
use of Cantonese.

Although we are part of China, we need to preserve our own
cultural identity.