BY JOHN MACNAB
An abiding Hong Kong myth is that ‘they all speak English, don’t they?’ This is usually from the mouth of someone who has either never been or has not strayed far from the confines of his western chain hotel. In fact, only over half of the Hong Kong population can speak, read and write in English while only a few percent use it in their daily life. English remains an official language of Hong Kong alongside Cantonese.
Step off Nathan Road, the main drag of Kowloon, into a back street in search of a local Chinese restaurant and, in no time, you will find yourself unable to communicate other than by pointing and nodding. Likewise, in the New Territories, get away from the shopping malls, and even in them on occasions, you will find yourself back in pointy noddy land up to, and even being prevented from, taking a seat in a restaurant.
That happened to my wife and I on our first visit to Hong Kong and has happened to me several times since. Unless accompanied by a local colleague and Cantonese speaker, the staff feel very uncomfortable trying to communicate with you. The problem has been exacerbated over the decades by an influx of rich mainland Chinese who often request specifically not to be in the company of gweilos.
George Orwell understood the importance for totalitarian regimes of controlling language, and this was demonstrated amply by his ‘newspeak’ in 1984. We are witnessing a current battle over language as the woke word mangle changes the very meaning of words and is used to castigate those who transgress the boundaries of the linguistic straitjacket.
Sadly, we seem to be doing that one to ourselves.
Control of language was a favourite tactic of colonisers such as the Portuguese and the Spanish who imposed their language on conquered territories, suppressing indigenous languages in the process. They were not alone, the Danes, the French and many others did the same thing as ‘Muted Tongues: A Timeline of Suppressed Languages’ in the online e-Flux Journal lists.
This is now happening in Hong Kong as the Chinese overlords try to suppress the use of English in our former colony.
Of course, with the extent to which English is used and its ostensible utility as a means of international communication, the Chinese will have an uphill struggle. Nevertheless, the Chinese Communist Party can be dogged to the point of stupidity, and in a kind of reverse virtue signalling it perseveres to prove a point. And it’s working.
A recent article in the Hong Kong English language daily newspaper of record, the South China Morning Post (SCMP), reported that English proficiency was declining in Hong Kong. Scores on the gold standard IELTS test used for entry into English speaking universities and professions worldwide are now averaging below 7, and 7 is considered the minimum standard for proficiency.
It had already been noted that, as Hong Kong declines into tyranny, and since the handover from the UK that standards of English proficiency have been declining. While the SCMP expressed concern at the decline it fails to give a reason. The newspaper was once openly critical of mainland China but now knows what side its mooncakes are buttered and is more reserved on matters Chinese.
But there is strong suspicion and some evidence of the actions of the Chinese government. China, also now turning its back on English, suspects the use of English classes to spread dissent about the Chinese government. And it may be no coincidence that the percentage of Mandarin speakers in Hong Kong has increased from 25% in 1996 to 54.2% in 2021.
Hong Kong is a significant financial powerhouse in the region, and it now belongs completely to China. The Chinese government will be keen to reap whatever economic benefits it can from Hong Kong. But they will be less keen to do that than to undermine the international status of the once bilingual entrepôt and increase its dependence on China.
Control the language, control thought and control the money.