Opinion | Hong Kong's language policy needs to be reformed

By Mathias Woo

Although linguistic complexity and diversity in Hong Kong schools were once considered blessings in the melting pot like Cosmopolis after China resumed sovereignty in 1997, they turned out to be controversial issues when adolescents' cognitive problems raised public concerns. There have been reports that some teenagers are too simple-minded for their age, while others exhaust their minds with overly complex thoughts that are beyond their ability to express. The situation is an alarming call for the government of the Special Administrative Region to rethink, reform, and possibly revamp, the ongoing language policy of "biliteracy and trilingualism".

Early in 1997, Hong Kong initiated a campaign to use Putonghua as the medium of instruction to teach the Chinese Language (PMIC). Since then, biliteracy and trilingualism have prevailed in Hong Kong with three principal languages (Cantonese, Putonghua, and English) being adopted as the medium of instruction.

Hong Kong educators, however, pay little attention to the relationship between languages and cognition and treat languages as mere tools for communication and ignore the fact that languages play a pivotal role in shaping the way of thinking. Therefore, Language acquisition, starting from early childhood, would prepare children with basic understanding abilities. If both English and Chinese languages are mandatory for children to grasp at an early age, I believe Cantonese should be the language of instruction instead of English since Hong Kong is a predominantly Chinese society.

In hindsight, the language policy of the 70s best served its purpose because bilingualism, and biliterate as well, dominated the language policies then. English textbooks then were taught in Cantonese for better understanding. English, as the medium of instruction (EMI), was for "glorifying" English education under British rule, while the subjects were taught in Cantonese in the classrooms.

Singapore's educational policy reflects the nation's high regard for English, which is used as a dominant language in schools, be it international or public. Therefore, they could simply settle on one language of instruction allowing teachers to focus on imparting knowledge rather than fixing their students' language deficiencies. Hong Kong, on the other hand, must adopt multilingualism in education for its rich linguistic culture generated by its geographical location and historical factors.

Considering Hong Kong's international standing, emphasizing English is the right move. However, full-blown Cantonese as the medium of instruction (CMI) should be adopted in the primary sector for better language learning under the premise that trilingual education is inevitable. Language acquisition must start with early childhood education, which should prepare children with a basic understanding of both English and Chinese languages. Cantonese should be the language of Instruction instead of English. As for PMIC, I think it would be better to be practiced in secondary schools, instead of primary ones.

Therefore, students will first gain exposure to two distinctive languages in the primary sector where Cantonese, rather than English, should be predominantly used as a language of instruction. Subsequently, the curriculum, also the pedagogy adopted in the classroom, should be more culturally rich to ignite the pupils' passion for Chinese civilization. The top-notch scholars in the city, especially Richard Ho Man-wui, should be invited to improve the current syllabus, while the traditional Chinese literature, such as poetry and verses from the Tang and Song Dynasties in "golden" medieval ages, should be also included in the textbook. It is fundamental for students to learn Chinese poetry and verses and to recite some Chinese classics such as the Analects of Confucius, Three Character Classic, etc.

Some might be mistakenly impressed by the misleading public opinion that the poetry and verses from the Tang and Song Dynasties are incomprehensible. That is not true. 'Quiet Night Thought' by the poet Li Bo (701-762) goes 'Before my bed, the moonlight glitters /Like frost upon the ground. /I look up to the mountain moon, /Look down and think of home.' It is easy to read and understand. I believe students should at least recite ten poems from the Tang Dynasty every year. In their six-year primary schooling, students can memorize sixty poems and verses by heart, making it the first step in arts and humanities education.

Secondary school students can then explore further the world of ancient Chinese literature, as well as the best readings in modern times. Language education should be goal-oriented, and mastering Cantonese helps students appreciate the beauty of ancient Chinese literature as the dialect preserves most features of the Chinese vernacular pronunciations of archaic times.

Learning Putonghua at the secondary level would be feasible as the teenagers are capable to handle it with ease. The intriguing part of Mandarin (or Putonghua) lies in the language's flexibility to diversify. Mandarin, in contrast to other dialects, can tolerate dialectal differences, which makes it outgrow other dialects and become the national language.

Mandarin can be learned through pop songs. Back in the 70s, when we were young, no one taught us Mandarin, whereas most of us learned from Teresa Teng's songs. So, in addition to practicing the use of the language in daily life, learning to speak Putonghua creatively is more effective than the didactic way. Besides English and Chinese, translation is involved between Mandarin and Cantonese. Translation brings about innovation and creativity. Language learning shouldn't be considered a means to an end. It is the first step to cultivating creative thinking and exercising intellect.

Another aspect that learning Chinese can contribute to the growth of the mind lies in its etymology. Chinese, a logographic system, is comprised of thousands of graphic symbols that represent ideas or concepts, including pictographs (象形) and ideographs. Hong Kong should leverage the quality of visualization in Chinese learning to enhance children's visual thinking. It is significant to acknowledge how visual thinking can be enabled by learning logograms like Chinese, as opposed to alphabetic systems such as English. It is a key attribute of the Chinese language. With such a unique approach to language learning, which was built upon hundred years of history, Hong Kong people should let it thrive.

The author is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and artistic director of Zuni Icosahedron.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.