Let's look at the dialogue. |
When I read, I want you to pay attention to vocabulary. |
Find what the language is and see how it’s used in the dialogue. |
你好,你識唔識講英文? |
(nei5 hou2, nei5 sik1 m4 sik1 gong2 ying1 man2?) |
Hello, do you speak English? |
你好,你識唔識講英文? |
(nei5 hou2, nei5 sik1 m4 sik1 gong2 ying1 man2?) |
識呀,我識講英文。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngóh sik1 gong2 ying1 man2.) |
Yes, I speak English. |
識呀,我識講英文。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 ying1 man2.) |
Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
識呀,我識講日文。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 yat6 man2.) |
Yes, I speak Japanese. |
識呀,我識講日文。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 yat6 man2.) |
識呀,我識講俄文。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 ngo4 man2.) |
Yes, I speak Russian. |
識呀,我識講俄文。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 ngo4 man2.) |
Now let's look at the sentence pattern. |
This pattern will be the structure that all of our dialogues will follow… |
識呀,我識講[LANGUAGE]。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 [LANGUAGE].) |
Yes, I speak [LANGUAGE]. |
識呀,我識講[LANGUAGE]。 |
(sik1 aa1, ngó5 sik1 gong2 [LANGUAGE].) |
識呀 |
(sik1 aa1) |
Yes |
我識講 |
(ngó5 sik1 gong2) |
I speak |
Many Hong Kongers switch between languages depending on the context. |
Cantonese is the dominant language in everyday life |
but English is often used in business, education |
and legal contexts due to its status as an official language. |
Mandarin has also become more prominent since the 1997 handover to China |
especially in government and formal settings. |
This language-switching ability, known as code-switching |
is not only a practical skill but also a marker of cultural identity in Hong Kong |
where people navigate between local traditions and global influences. |
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