Non-white IS The New Black

Oh, whoops, how did a burqa sneak in there? Must have been the word ‘black’. Anyway, so most of my students have the same complaint: No matter how good their Cantonese is, Hong Kong people still answer them in English. There was an interesting take on that on Facebook yesterday: Because it’s so expensive to take English lessons, Chinese in Hong Kong and the mainland try to get their English training where they can: By insisting on answering the people who have spent months and years trying to learn the local language to be polite to locals, in a completely different language.

Fair enough – maybe. But whenever I ask, with increasing stringency I’m ashamed to admit, why the hell they would talk to me in English when I can clearly speak their language, they always answer: “Because I’m afraid you can’t understand.” Nothing about the price of English lessons.

They also say “to be polite.”

Recently I’ve had the pleasure of teaching Cantonese to a Filipino girl and – what do you know? Nobody ever answers her in English. Her problem is the opposite: People treat her as if she should know everything in Chinese already, even when she asks them in English to speak more slowly. Also, nobody has ever uttered to her that ongoing refrain reverberating through offices where there are whitey: Don’t learn Cantonese! It’s too difficult – for you. So if you were ever in any doubt, it’s official: It’s a colour thing.

Brown, black, dark beige: Cantonese is more or less in your genes and you should pick it up between landing at Hong Kong airport and reaching your first destination. White: Impossible. And even if you are white and should happen to speak Cantonese fluently: A lifetime of being applauded for being able to say “Good morning” in Cantonese awaits.

I have only one piece of advice for Caucasian learners of Cantonese: It will never change, BUT if you hang in there, you can still do it. If I can learn it, anyone can learn it. Merry Canto-summer!