Is it difficult to learn Chinese/ Cantonese?
I don’t think learning Chinese/ Cantonese is difficult. I’m capable of mastering the language in all 4 aspects (reading, listening, writing and speaking). Apart from school education, I try to further improve my Chinese Cantonese by watching TVB programmes and news. I also read Chinese newspapers, such as Ming Pao and some free newspaper. I sometimes read SCMP but I’m used to read Chinese first. Like most Hong Kong people, I think in Cantonese first, and then English.

'How many languages can you speak?’

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I know 8 languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Hindi, Tagalog, Nepalese, Urdu (can only speak and read) and Arabic (can read only).

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I didn’t attend formal language classes except for Chinese (Cantonese). I learn them all by myself, like reading books. I also talked to my classmates of different nationalities when studying in the secondary school so I had chances to learn their languages. Like many Hong Kong people, I’d love to learn Korean and Japanese as well.

For Cantonese and English, I think I’m more or less equally proficient in both languages. I feel comfortable with either Chinese or English. That’s why we use both languages during the interview.

If you ask me what motivates me to learn languages, I’d say ‘communication’. Except Urdu which is rarely used in HK, I have lots of chances to use the other languages in Hong Kong. So I become increasingly motivated. Apart from this, I feel that I can equip myself better and strengthen my competitiveness in the society. For Mandarin, I think it has started to gain importance in the international arena. Being able to speak it would of course increase my competitiveness.

‘Which languages do you use in different environments and to whom?’

Home language: Cantonese, Urdu & English
When talking to my mother who is not a fluent Cantonese speaker and is relatively less localized, I try to use more Cantonese instead of Urdu to her because she can improve her Cantonese which I think is an important dialect for survival in Hong Kong, such as going to market and talking to neighbours.

About my father, I heard from some friends saying that he is quite localized but I don’t know much about him as we rarely contact each other.

With siblings, we use both Cantonese (mother tongue) and Urdu (heritage language). Very often, we do code-switching and/ or code-mixing under any circumstances. Sometimes we prefer using Urdu because we can express meanings faster.

With relatives, we mainly use English as most of them have migrated to overseas countries, such as Britain & Sweden, for a long time. For those relatives who’re older and still staying in Pakistan, we also use English when making long distance call. But perhaps it’s only the case in my family. But other Pakistani migrant family, they may use more Urdu instead.

In the future, I will teach my next generation Cantonese and Urdu if I get married and have children because the former helps them get assimilated into Hong Kong society while the latter emphasizes our roots. Meanwhile, I’ll let them learn the Pakistan cultures. For schooling, I will send children to local schools. If they have to attend international school due to some reasons, I’ll encourage them to choose the Chinese stream instead of the English one.

 

At work: English & Cantonese
With colleagues, English is the major language of communication because we come from different countries speaking different languages.

With customers/ clients, I mainly use English. In the past when I was still working in the financial company and being responsible of contacting customers and clients via telephone, they thought I’m a local Hong Kong person until we met face-to-face because my Cantonese is indistinguishable from a local Hong Kong Cantonese speaker. Of course, they’re very surprised.

 

At school: mainly Cantonese
In primary school, I attended a local school so I mainly use Cantonese.

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In secondary school, I was enrolled in an international government school but I chose to study in the Chinese classes in which all students were locals except me. I studied Chinese History, Western History and Chinese language. In the public examination (HKCEE), I used Chinese to answer the papers, with the exception of the English subject. In fact, I was the first South Asian studying in the Chinese class in that school. Since then, more South Asians some of whom are born in Hong Kong while some are born in Pakistan but intend to learn Chinese, attend Chinese class rather than the English one. So, I’m like a role model or big brother. But to be frank, some of my friends do find it really difficult to learn Chinese although teachers have already adjusted the teaching methods.

 

On the Internet: Chinese
I browse Chinese websites (e.g. Hong Kong forum; Uwants).I also use Chinese Facebook version and type Chinese in Facebook. For SMS and email, I use Chinese as well.

Would you describe yourself as a Hong Kong person?

‘I’m from Hong Kong and I’m very Hong Kong!’ Except my skin colour, everything is the same as other Hong Kong people. In fact, I’ve never been described as a ‘South Asian’. I think most Hong Kong people have already accepted me as a local. On the contrary, some Pakistanis don’t treat my family and I as parts of them but they don’t care much.

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Do you think that language is a key contributed to your successful assimilation in society?
Yes, I think being able to speak Cantonese is definitely an advantage. Like, I have more chances of promotion in the company due to my language proficiency. In the past, our company only target local clients. But nowadays, they expand their target groups to South Asian clients. Of course, one of my duties is to help my company to find potential South Asian clients and I have opportunities to have meetings with different clients after being promoted. I feel that I’m much more appreciated by my partners of my company due to my language skills.

Luckily, my family and I haven’t faced any racial discrimination ever. I believe that apart from language, successful assimilation really depends on your own attitudes. As long as you make your first step, try to get assimilated into the society and don’t give up easily, then you’re more likely to succeed. Some of my friends fail because they think that no matter how effortful they’re in trying to get assimilated, they’ll be discriminated forever once they’ve been discriminated. In fact, I’ve found that there’s a ‘labelling effect’ of South Asians in Hong Kong society. A majority of Hong Kong people think that South Asians are stereotypically shy, cannot speak well and are not brave enough to face the reality. They generally have negative impressions towards South Asians. But we cannot alter the mindsets of the majority. What will make a difference is indeed our attitude.

In my community, Tin Shui Wai, where you can find many South Asians, cultural exchanges are getting more common. More elements of South Asian cultures have been added in carnivals, such as South Asians dance performances in which some dancers are local Hong Kong girls. Besides, many social organizations (e.g. YMCA) organize different interest classes and workshops which help improve social harmony. For instance, Hong Kong women have chances to join the cooking class and learn how to cook South Asian cuisines.

'Do you like Chinese culture while also treasuring your Pakistani culture?’
Frankly speaking, I believe in Feng Shui! When I gave myself the Chinese name – ‘李浩成’ [Lee Ho Shing], I did consult some of my friends who have expertise in Feng Shui and they agreed that this is a good name. At the same time, I do respect my own culture and retain some Pakistani cultural practices. For instance, my family wears Pakistani costumes and visits relatives during New Year holidays. Also, we’re Muslims and we attend ceremony in Kowloon Mosque. I feel that my Pakistani culture is my root and it’s like our wallet which is with you all the time.