WHAT
is this all about?
International
Mother Language Day, launched by the General Conference of UNESCO
in November 1999, has been observed on the 21st of February yearly
since February 2000, with an aim to promote linguistic and cultural
diversity and multilingualism, and to celebrate the world's 6,000
languages as intangible cultural heritage.
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=40278&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
The
Language and Communication Programme of the School of English is marking
the 11th International Mother Language Day, on 21 February 2010, with
projects by students of the course LCOM3001 Cultural dimensions
of language and communication on the language situations of various
minority communities in Hong Kong.
HOW
is this relevant to Hong Kong?
While
Hong Kong may usually be perceived as a homogeneous, largely monolingual
context, there are in fact myriad other communities whose everyday
existence in Hong Kong involves a tension between maintaining their
mother tongues or traditional languages and acquiring or using languages
more dominant in the local setting, such as English, Putonghua or
Cantonese. These may be Hongkongers in different circumstances, such
as multilingual families or emigrant returnees (海歸派 hoi2 gwai1 paai3).
They may be minority groups in Hong Kong, which include not only traditional
minorities such as Tanka, but also new immigrants such as communities
from South Asia or Africa, or domestic helpers such as Filipinas and
Indonesians. They may also be communities facing language challenges
found in multilingual workplaces or in new media communication.
WHY
are we doing this?
One
of the aims of this project is to remind ourselves and others of the
various less-thought-about multilingual communities in Hong Kong,
who face challenges in their communicative practices which involve
their mother tongue(s) as positioned alongside other languages of
global and local significance.
A broader aim is to raise
awareness amongst the university community and wider society of UNESCO's
International Mother Language Day (21 February) and the significance
of linguistic and cultural diversity, and to invite commitments for
next year's IMLD 2011.
WHO
are the subjects of our attention?
The
Tanka community (蜑家 daan6gaa1), also known as the community of
fisherfolk or boat dwellers, is a traditional minority in Hong Kong.
The community is now facing language challenges with regard to its
mother tongue, such as language shift and possibly language death.
By examining the reasons for the threats to their language, as well
as the attitude of the Tanka community towards such a phenomenon,
we strive to draw people's attention to this linguistic minority and
consequently to the importance of cultural diversity. Read more at
http://tanka-community.blogspot.com/
By Vienna Ho Wing Lun, Carrie Lam Ka Yee, Jerome Ng Tik Lun, Phyllis
Wong Wing Sui.
Hong
Kong, as a multi-cultural city, is currently seeing a growing phenomenon
in these deca
des dominated by the immigrant craze - mixed marriage,
where the non-HKers tend to face various languages challenges in different
cultural dimensions. As the minority community, what language(s) do
they use in daily life? What role(s) does their own mother tongue
play in their parent-child communication? What position and role does
Cantonese hold for them? How do they find themselves perceived by
the majority? How do they deal with language shift? Read more
at
http://imld-mixed-marriage.xanga.com/ By Cathy Cheung
Ho Long, Joanna Law Ting Yan, Dennis Li Ka Ho, Isabel Wu Sin Yee.
In
today's globalized context, an increasing number of students study
overseas. Amongst the various challenges faced by non-local students
in HK, what are their difficulties in daily communication in a
non-mother tongue language environment? How do they solve the associated
problems? What are their attitudes towards learning a second/ foreign
language like Mandarin/ Cantonese? Read more at http://asianexchange.cz.cc/
By Samantha Cheung Ka Man, Eva Choi Yee Wa, Wendy Choi Suet Fan, Carmen
Chow Ka Men.
Ahmad:
"I've nothing, I'm helpless. Nobody supports me to rent another
flat." Ahmad's son: "我會同老師講我無屋企, 但好想返學 (ngo5 wui5tung4 lou5si1
gong2 ngo5 mou4 uk1kei2, daan6 hou2soeng2 faan1hok6)". They are
both Pakistanis, victims in the recent To Kwa Wan building collapse.
But - why did they respond to reporters in different languages? South
Asians are amongst the ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong,
multilingual, but with limited proficiency in spoken and written Chinese,
the dominant languages of the city. What are the factors determining
their language choice? What are their attitudes towards Cantonese
and their mother tongue? Read more at http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/imld-southasian
By Vicky Chiu Pui Wai, Carson Fung Ka Sing, Jessica Kung Shui Man.
WHERE
can you view the projects?
|
Follow
the groups as they conduct their fieldwork, and blog about their
observations, with images and audio, by clicking on the individual
links above.
|
|
Contact:
Dr Lisa Lim lisalim@hku.hk, Coordinator, Language and Communication
Programme
