Use it or lose it

shadeslayer

Use it or lose it.        
2013/11/12 上午 08:42:07
網誌分類: 生活
         Everywhere I go in Hong Kong nowadays I hear Putonghua. In some places I hear Putonghua more than Cantonese. But I hardly ever (almost never, rarely) hear English anymore nowadays. Yet English is one of Hong Kong's two official languages. When I was growing up in Hong Kong I often heard people speaking in English. Before the handover, even Chinese civil servants sometimes spoke with each other in English. But government officials hardly ever speak to each other in English nowadays. They hardly ever go to English-language radio and TV shows. I have noticed for a long time the drop in the standard of English in Hong Kong. That's why I wasn't surprised when a recent survey showed Hong Kong in fourth place in English proficiency (noun) in Asia.

         When you are proficient (adjective) in English, it means you are very skilled or very good in English. Since English is an official language here, most Hong Kong people should be proficient in English. But the survey found that Hong Kong is only in the "Moderately Proficient" category, which also includes Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam. We are less proficient than India and even Argentina. Both Singapore and Malaysia are in the "High Proficiency" category even though English is not an official language in Malaysia. English is an official language in Singapore, just like in Hong Kong. So why does Singapore have a higher English proficiency than Hong Kong?

         I think it is because Singaporeans (the people of Singapore) often speak in English. Most Hong Kong people do not speak in English. But as I have said before: use it or lose it, which means, for example, if you have won a free plane ticket valid for six months you must use it or you will lose it, meaning the ticket will no longer be usable after six months. If you don't use English you will lose it, meaning if you don't speak it, you will not be proficient in it. Hong Kong can, of course, decide that English is not that important and we should learn Putonghua instead. But if we decide to do that, we should no longer make English an official language.

By Michael Chugani

Xxxxxxx

Has Michael got a point?  Should we be ashamed when there are so many opportunities for HKers to learn English?

兩文三語係共識，但普通話一路好，英文又退步，整體中文又不及台灣。香港人行緊一條什麼的語文路？

ANChan59

回復 shadeslayer 的帖子

哈哈，佩服！
在 EK 講這個題目會俾人話政治不正確，甚麼大國崛起，假洋鬼子 ，中中無敵 ......   不過你夠道行 .... 百毒不侵。


********

我就保險 d ，阿仔一定要兩文三語不可少！現在收貨。

DevilPig

睇你身處乜區，係中環仲會成日聽見英文

HKTHK

回復 shadeslayer 的帖子

I am not sure, is it really true?  I thought English still quite commonly used

HKTHK

回復 shadeslayer 的帖子

兩文三語 is a must.  Without it, one doesn't have much flexibility.

Sumyeema1

原帖由 shadeslayer 於 13-11-14 發表
本帖最後由 shadeslayer 於 13-11-14 23:53 編輯

Use it or lose it.        

我見到一部份家庭，雖然父母講廣東話， 但對家中幼童講英文

囝囝爸

同情作者 Michael 的落寞，英語在香港的光輝歲月相信漸漸減退。 西方人在東方的消費能力也漸漸減退，東方人在西方的消費無處不在。不過如果他知道新加坡李光耀對當地年青一代的勸喻是：「中文，use it or lose it，競爭力」，就㑹明白功利香港人的現實取向。

cherubic

English is still widely used at work, unless they are purely domestic.  
Michael's observation shows the growing importance of Putonghua, but it does not mean that it has replaced English.  Play safe, equip yourself and your kids with both languages.

chunyatmama

Agree with the above.  English is still very important on my day to day work.  

That's why I insist my kids must learn all about PTH and English.  Equip themselves since they are young.  Even if I am prepared to send them aboard, I hope that they can maintain the Chinese and PTH standard up to at least F.3 level.

shadeslayer

Michael 說以前更多華人說英語，在社經地位高的圈子可能是對的。他說，英語是香港法定語言，我們英語卻遠差於英語不是法定語言的地區例如馬拉。為什麼？

學生的時間非常有限，怎樣是好的兩文三語比例是非常主觀的。我比較有興趣的，是當今香港學生的語文教育走勢，對香港的發展和定位有何影響。

cow

香港學生要加強英語說話能力, 英中要強制在校園說英語。

shadeslayer

cow 發表於 13-11-15 15:07
香港學生要加強英語說話能力, 英中要強制在校園說英語。

這不是香港語文發展的勢頭。

cow

shadeslayer 發表於 13-11-15 15:25
這不是香港語文發展的勢頭。

香港年青一代的普通話應不成問題.

HKTHK

回復 cow 的帖子

I am a bit dubious how well a policy like this would work. Speaking more bad English doesn't mean it will get better. I think they need some role models m

shadeslayer

cow 發表於 13-11-15 15:44
香港年青一代的普通話應不成問題.

香港人在內地搵食，從來不是因為普通話好，或中文文筆好。

talknwrite

回復 cow 的帖子

強制在校園說英語係唔WORK.強制要同英美人士拍拖談戀愛就差不多.

shadeslayer

本港大學生統一英語水平評核得分微跌

教資會公布，本港大學畢業生統一英語水平評核的成績，總分較上年輕微下跌。
超過一萬一千個應屆大學畢業生參加了考試，總平均分是6.7，較之前一年跌了0.02分。
考生的閱讀及聆聽能力比較好，評分也高過7分，書寫及會話就只有6分。
以學科來劃分，教育科的畢業生得分最低，只有6.42。最高分的是醫科、牙科及護理科，有6.91分。
以院校劃分，香港大學的考生拿到最高分，教育學院考生的分數則最低。

Average: 6.7Reading: 7.39
Listening: 7.12
Writing: 6.0
Speaking: 6.04

xxxxxx

So Cow was right, HK students speaking (and writing) are really poor.  Don't forget typical students have learned English for like 18 to 20 years.

What happened to HKIE?  Ranked the lowest both by institution and by subject.  And they are our kids teachers including English.

Scoring 6.42 for U grads is nothing to write home about.  

ANChan59

回復 shadeslayer 的帖子

讀完大學6.91 及7.11都算低，不少中四、中五學生都高過7.5。

iloveguacamole

原帖由 talknwrite 於 13-11-15 發表
回復 cow 的帖子

強制在校園說英語係唔WORK.強制要同英美人士拍拖談戀愛就差不多.