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Language in Hong Kong Anonymous
Can anyone familiar with Hong Kong tell me of the language situation over there? More specifically, will a minimal/nonexistent knowledge of Cantonese severely hinder a trip there, or is English good enough?
>> Anonymous
My friend is an exchange student there right now and is frustrated by all the other exchange students who appear to have no desire to learn Chinese since they can survive on English alone.

tl;dr Yes.
>> sage
English is good enough. Knowing Cantonese is a bonus.
>> Anonymous
>>69715
... and i so thought there was lava on the streets there.. such a disappointment
>> Anonymous
English is fine. You can nearly always get someone bilingual to help out, so don't panic. And remember that even though they've gone back to China more people are learning English anyway.
>> Anonymous
Went there last year. Attempted to speak Cantonese, every person i attempted the language with answered in excellent English :-(
>> Anonymous
>>69715
If you want to speak with the (older) locals, you will need Cantonese. The younger ones will speak near-perfect English.
>> Anonymous
Hong Kong has so many cool ass buildings but god damn they need to start tearing down those commie blocks.
>> Anonymous
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Chinese with British accents
>> We Are Anonymous
i am Chinese American, born in NYC


i guess i been Americanized so my Cantonese isnt so great, i can hear it excellent but cant speak it as well


but ALL of the road signs and even the subway rail lines are in English


English is all u need because the Britishfags
>> Anonymous
>>71473
you rike flied lice?
>> Anonymous
Yes, English is widely spoken. If you intend to spend a lot of time around Kowloon (particularly Tsim Sha Tsui) you might want to learn a few words of Hungarian as this is the most prominent language spoken around this area. You'll also find it useful if you venture up to Mong Kok markets as well.
>> Anonymous
>>71570
hungarian? are you joking? Mong Kok is a place purely for locals and famous for the street markets, how will hungarian get you anywhere?
I've lived and had vacations in Hong Kong, english and cantonese, you can get by with either one.
>> Anonymous
>>71454
wut? Hong Kong was never commie, why would they have commie blocks? And I'm guessing the people living there wouldn't like that too much..
>> Anonymous
>>71751

Commie blocks have nothing to do with actually being communist, it's a style of building. They're those very ugly, drab rectangles you see tons of in Hong Kong (in the OP picture, you can see them in the back).
>> Haronymous
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>>71454

Yeah, but every 10 other cool buildings they will manage to build a goddamn eyesore, building in center of pic related since it does kinda look like a goddamn penis. As a Hong Kong ex-pat it still pisses me off to no end ...

>>69715

Almost everything in Hong Kong are in English, including most menus and such in resturants. Also, get an Octopus Card when you are there because looking in your wallet for spare change when you ride in Hong Kong's public transit system is for suckers in Hong Kong.
>> Anonymous
>>71739

Hey, douche, I've lived in Hong Kong most of my life. Hungarian is useful in a lot of parts of Kowloon and certain parts of New Territories itself. It's due with the Hungarian (and to a lesser extent, German) mercenaries that occupied parts of Hong Kong even before the UK took control. Although not taught in schools now, a lot of the secondary and older generations speak Cantonese and Hungarian. Which, if you're a tourist, you might find it more useful than English in these parts of Hong Kong.
>> Haronymous
>>71763

Good God, someone is either trolling or failed really hard regarding Hong Kong ...

>It's due with the Hungarian (and to a lesser extent, German) mercenaries that occupied parts of Hong Kong even before the UK took control

Hong Kong was practically nothing but fishing villages, small settlements, and possibly pirate hideouts before the British took control of it in 1841. It was after the British takeover that we see Hong Kong as a major port, trading post, and gateway to China for the British and others from the 1850s.

>Although not taught in schools now, a lot of the secondary and older generations speak Cantonese and Hungarian

Never happened, my parents were raised in the 50s and 60s and they were never taught Hungarian. That and all four of my grandparents don't speak it either. Hell, if they were to learn a 3rd language aside from English and Cantonese, they would be better off learning Indian due to a good amount of them working in Hong Kong as police officiers and such back in the old days.

As a Hong Kong ex-pat, I lol'd and RAGE'd at the same time ... 5/10
>> Anonymous
>>71765

Fuck you faggot, I just about had the OP commencing a pointless attempt at learning Hungarian.
>> Haronymous
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>>71769

The Queen of England is not amused at your faggotry ...