教育王國
標題: 轉貼: 不用母語的人的自白 [打印本頁]
作者: edith208 時間: 15-5-6 11:09 標題: 轉貼: 不用母語的人的自白
本帖最後由 edith208 於 15-5-8 09:04 編輯
http://www.dailylife.com.au/life ... 0150502-1mydxn.html
There are all sorts of names for people like me: an Australian child of migrants who can't speak his parents' language. If you're brown or black, you might be called a "coconut" (dark on the outside; white on the inside); in the same way, I've been accused of being a "banana". That's right, there's a whole cultural shame-spectrum that revolves around fruit.
Since I was a kid, Mum and Dad have spoken Cantonese to me and my siblings, and we've spoken English back. I can order yum cha and buy groceries in Chinatown, but anything more is a struggle. My record for a phone call with my grandmother is 12 minutes, and even then, it covered the usual: whether she'd eaten, how she'd fared at mahjong, and the unending mystery of why I'm not having children.
How did it end up like this? Arguably, I'm lazy. But in my defence, Cantonese is also a tough language to master. Sure, 774,000 Australians speak it at home (it's the fourth most-spoken non-English language after Italian, Greek and Mandarin), but it also has anywhere between six to nine different tones (compared to Mandarin's four), no standard input for written text, and is regularly rated - alongside Russian and Arabic - as one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn.
Needless to say, I was horrified when I was recently asked to do a radio interview in Cantonese. After the radio producers sent me a list of questions, I rang my mum to help me translate my answers. When
I recited them back to her, I sounded hesitant and confused, like a parrot that had been bashed. I was reminded of that scene from Mrs Doubtfire in which Robin Williams pretends he's a migrant worker and says, "I AM JOB" over and over. That would be me.
On the day, it was worse. My Cantonese-speaking hosts were patient- but in the same way speech therapists are patient when rehabilitating someone after an injury. I apologise if you're a Cantonese speaker who heard me on air. At least I know the word for "sorry".
作者: Yanamami 時間: 15-5-6 13:13
“My Cantonese-speaking hosts were patient- but in the same way speech therapists are patient when rehabilitating someone after an injury.”
好幽默!
作者: Cheeselover 時間: 15-5-8 06:30 標題: 引用:+http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-lo
原帖由 edith208 於 15-05-06 發表
http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/real-life/ben-law-when-you-cant-speak-your-parents-languag ...
What do you really to say? How luck you are; or you regret yourself not learning Chinese well?

作者: lisinchi 時間: 15-5-8 09:52
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作者: btrue 時間: 15-5-8 12:19
The message I get is that despite the yellow skin, this "banana" wants to emphasize the fruit is white, and if you see it his way, any Cantonese capability is more a feat than a fiasco.
作者: Cara2006 時間: 15-5-8 17:10
I think it does not matter how much cantonese/mandarin a person can speak.
It is the attitude of the person or the family that defines who they are.
I have a friend. She and her husband are both cantonese chinese born in Hong Kong. They both studied in England for high school and university, but came back to Hong Kong right after they graduated. They have 2 children both born in Hong Kong as well. They never speak in Cantonese with their children and both children go to international schools. I think it is OK that they chose not to use Cantonese at home. I do respect their choice. However, it is a real shame they are actually proud of their kids being not able to speak cantonese, and look down on other school mates that are ably to speak cantonese (and keep up with native english level).
作者: AnimalFarm 時間: 15-5-8 17:28
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作者: Cara2006 時間: 15-5-8 17:42
AnimalFarm 發表於 15-5-8 17:28 
若佢地kids啲同學仔, 能說native English又能說流利廣東話,咁究竟係邊個look down 邊個呢 ...
Because some people are of the opinion that if a person speaks ONLY english, then the english skills should be better than that that speak both english and cantonese.
This is a very common idea amongst "some" of the international schools parents.
作者: AnimalFarm 時間: 15-5-8 18:09
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作者: btrue 時間: 15-5-8 18:12
this logic is twisted in many ways, but sadly, it's very very common not only amongst int'l school parents, but also students who study abroad, or repatriates who have done school in HK.
作者: fc926 時間: 15-5-8 19:07 標題: 回覆:轉貼: 不用母語的人的自白
這篇文章令我想起一位認識的國民黨老兵(廣東人)如何對待他在港出世的兒女,他一家在兒女幾歳大時就遷移到台灣。這位老兵一直堅持子女跟父母說話必須廣東話對答,所以長大後子女仍然操算是流利廣東話

作者: fc926 時間: 15-5-8 19:11 標題: 引用:I+think+it+does+not+matter+how+much+cant
原帖由 Cara2006 於 15-05-08 發表
I think it does not matter how much cantonese/mandarin a person can speak.
It is the attitude of the ...
This is very similar to people from mainland to HK in the past. The parents speak 鄉下話,their kids understand but never speak. They speak Cantonese only.

作者: shadeslayer 時間: 15-5-8 19:16
They can think all they want, it is a very stupid idea.
作者: Cheeselover 時間: 15-5-9 07:38 標題: 回覆:轉貼: 不用母語的人的自白
In fact, most children can handle two or even three spoken languages at the same time. In HK, some parents (Chinese) speak English only with the kids. I don't question their act if they plan children studying aboard and won't be back. Some people disapprove the education system in HK. Actually, there's no prefect system in the world if they educayte the kids in wrong way at home. I really want to ask them the reason of giving up the parent's language, Cantonese. Language is a culture which pass generation by generation. What do they understand about the culture; why do they hate their own culture? The children will have proficient in English definitely, but some of them, like the writer, feel strange to themselves.

作者: fc926 時間: 15-5-9 09:42 標題: 回覆:轉貼: 不用母語的人的自白
Their parents have missed out the fact that good at mastering both Chinese and English is the winning key in the future world, especially if you have a Chinese face.

作者: Yanamami 時間: 15-5-9 09:58
AnimalFarm 發表於 15-5-8 18:09 
咁係佢地一廂情願嘅想法,讀國際學校大把英文又top,廣東話又流利嘅學生,比起那些唔識講廣東話嘅學生,英 ...
佢对自已身份不認同,好似Micheal Jackson唔想自己做黑人,打美白針变“白人”同—原理?
作者: samchan2179 時間: 15-5-9 10:09 標題: 回覆:edith208 的帖子
如果佢係澳洲長大,生活,唔識Cantonese 無乜大問題!

作者: AnimalFarm 時間: 15-5-9 10:10
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作者: AnimalFarm 時間: 15-5-9 10:11
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作者: Jane1983 時間: 15-5-9 11:46
係母語係主流語言的地方成長,但放棄母語,專攻英語……
好似真係香港人先會甘做 
作者: edith208 時間: 15-5-9 13:35
of course it is a matter of a personal choice and parents always want to give the best to their children. But is it a blessing not to pass one's mother language to his / her kids? Being bilingual is a reasonable choice in society like in HK. It may be a regret to kids until a moment that their parents may never know. Anyway, I support learning and using languages in order to communicate with others verbally and via print materials.
作者: samchan2179 時間: 15-5-9 14:35 標題: 回覆:edith208 的帖子
但係你post 個case ,係一個在澳洲長大及生活嘅華人,只識當地語言,即英文,應該唔會太大問題,

作者: MrBeast 時間: 15-5-9 14:47
有果必有因
作者: myfanwy 時間: 15-5-9 22:36 標題: 回覆:轉貼: 不用母語的人的自白
This kind of parents would send their kids to learn putonghua... So most of them would know English and 'Chinese', which means putonghua!! The reason is they think Cantonese is useless...
(I speak Cantonese with my kid)
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