Newsletter No. 365

2 No. 365, 19.10.2010 企 」、「緊要」、「傾偈」、「幾時」……好些現代的 廣東口語，原來源遠流長，早見於古代漢語。廣 東話是漢語的分支，在詞彙、語音及語法方面，均保存了大 部分古漢語的特色，並且千變萬化，有着獨特的內涵和活 潑的生命力。 語言皆平等　方言盡當珍惜 中國語言及文學系榮休講座教授張洪年認為，從語言學的 角度，語言並沒有高低之分，每種語言也有保留的價值，保 存母語更屬理所當然。將語言分等級，只是政治、經濟或 霸權問題。 他又指出，香港是全球最能夠保存廣東話這方言的地方， 很多地方也有方言，如廣州是廣東話、上海是上海話、台灣 是閩南話，但他們在教學上全用普通話（台灣稱為國語）， 方言只是家庭或社交語言，當地人漸漸認為正式語言是普 通話／國語，唯有香港在教室內沿用廣東話，大家慣用了 廣東話思考。 張教授說：「香港是中國唯一可用自己方言思考及討論嚴 肅議題的地方，這是香港很特別、很了不起之處，若放棄 了廣東話便很可惜。」 中大校友、撰寫有關語言書籍的嶺南大學中文系助理教授 陳雲根博士認為：「香港可謂廣東話於社會應用最全面之 地，香港人如不珍惜，摻入北方言談及官方辭令，不久廣 東話亦會變質。」而學校教學語言代以普通話後，久之學子 就不懂以廣東話討論嚴肅話題、以廣東話讀出書本文辭， 香港廣東話的地位，終將式微。 普通話教中文　無助提升語文水平 香港回歸後，普通話地位漸漸提高，政府的長遠政策方向 是學校以普通話教中文。雖有說這有助提升語文水平，但 課程與教學學系副教授何萬貫就指這是普遍的誤解。 他舉例說：「語文基礎差的，即使會講普通話，也只會不自 覺地採用廣東話的詞彙和句法來說普通話。」他續稱，教學 語言和教學內容是兩個不同的概念：「若期望透過普通話教 學來提高學生的中文水平，收效不會顯著。因為語言是一種 能力，能力是要通過鍛鍊和應用來訓練的。要提高學生語文 水平，應從『內容』、『教法』及『運用』方面入手。」 何教授說如過分重視普通話的重要，廣東話將被視為弱 勢語言，有礙保留廣東話、廣東文化和香港風俗和古漢 語。 廣東話獲聯合國教科文組織定義為語言，並且被認定為 華人日常生活中主要運用的五種語言之一，僅次於普通 話。不少非本地人士也渴仰香港文化， 中大的雅禮中國語文研習所開辦廣東話 課程歴史悠久，對象是來自外地的學 生及校外人士。所長吳偉平博士稱，每 年約有五六百人修讀廣東話課程，過 往學員多是商人、外交或政府人員，但 現在多了來港生活的海外年輕人，專 誠學習廣東話以與本地人交流。 事實上，多元語言和多元文化政策是當今世界潮流，在推 廣普通話時，也重視廣東話的發展，將有利於教育和文化 事業的發展。 A member of the Chinese language family, Cantonese is very ancient in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. All Languages are Created Equal Prof. Cheung Hung-nin Samuel, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, says that from the perspective of linguistics, all languages are created equal and are equally worthy of preservation. And it is only natural to preserve one’s mother tongue. Ranking languages is motivated by political and economic interest and power play. He points out that dialects are used in many places, e.g., Cantonese in Guangzhou, Shanghainese in Shanghai, Minnanyu in Taiwan. But in these places, the language used in the classroom is Putonghua (or Mandarin in Taiwan) and dialects are only spoken at home or among friends. Hence, people consider Putonghua/Mandarin the only formal language. This is not the case in Hong Kong as Cantonese is spoken in schools. Professor Cheung says, ‘Hong Kong is the only place in 粵語 — 廣東文化承傳的橋樑 Cantonese: Vessel for Guangdong Culture 語言文字是具意義的符號系統、是協助推行政策的工具、更是思想文化的盛器。大部分香港人 的母語—廣東話（粵語），同樣肩負着這些角色。早前廣州人擔心當局「推普廢粵」，刮起一陣 「保衞粵語」風，大學作為承傳文化的重鎮，無論是語言專家或是教育學者，俱認同本土應重視 廣東話的發展。 Language is a semiotic system, a means of promoting policy and a vessel for ideology and culture. Cantonese, the mother tongue of most Hong Kong people, plays these roles. Recently, pro-Cantonese rallies took place in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, as some people felt that Putonghua had eclipsed Cantonese as the dominant language of the province. Language scholars and education experts of CUHK share the view that Cantonese should be preserved and promoted in Hong Kong. 「 China where people think in their own dialect and use it officially to discuss serious issues. It’s unique in this country. It’s a pity to give up this language environment.’ Dr. Chin Wan-kan, CUHK alumnus, author of many best- selling books on the Chinese language, and assistant professor in the Department of Chinese, Lingnan University, also says, ‘Hong Kong is a linguistic enclave where Cantonese is most extensively used. If Hong Kong people disrespect their language by mixing it with northern dialects and officialese, the dialect will lose its lustre in the near future.’ If Putonghua is used in the classroom as the medium of instruction (MOI), the result will be students’ inability to discuss serious issues and read texts in Cantonese. The development of the dialect in the city will be doomed. Putonghua no Magic Bullet for Language Improvement After the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, Putonghua has risen in status in the city. It is the government’s long-term policy to use Putonghua as MOI for the subject of Chinese. Some people believe that this can improve student s’ Chinese language standards. But Prof. Ho Man- koon, associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, dismisses this as a misconception. He explains, ‘When a Cantonese speaker with poor proficiency in language speaks Putonghua, he is merely speaking with Cantonese vocabulary and sentence structure.’ He adds that MOI and teaching content are two different concepts, ‘If you expect students’ Chinese language proficiency to significantly improve by simply teaching the subject in Putonghua, you will be disappointed. Language proficiency can only be enhanced through consistent practice. To raise students’ language level, it’s more important to focus on “content”, “teaching method” and “application”.’ 張洪年教授 Prof. Cheung Hung-nin Samuel 吳偉平博士 Dr. Wu Weiping 何萬貫教授 Prof. Ho Man-koon