Cantonese as a Heritage Language

Netty Lim

Honors 394A: The Language that Binds Us

Professor Kim
11 June 2015

No identifying term, whether in regards to sexuality, ethnicity, or otherwise, is ever black

and white. Instead, I strongly believe in the thought that identity is fluid in every nature, and is
up to the individual to continually learn and adapt accordingly. Language, a fundamental aspect
of ethnic culture, is certainly no exception. Prior to attending the first class, I had never heard of
the term heritage language. A simple and quantitative definition that I have come to deduce
would be that the term heritage language refers to a language that is not the official or de facto
language of a certain social context, but a language that is either tied to cultural or ethnic values,
usually passed down through family (Kelleher). Upon further examination however, this
definition certainly fails to encompass the obstacles and concerns that come with being a heritage
language speaker or how one can identify his or her heritage.
Despite how ones heritage language is defined and measured, it is safe to say that the
general trend in heritage speakers and their ability to speak their heritage language is declining in
favor of the de facto language, this particular case referring to English in the US and Mandarin in
China. According to Maria Polinsky of Harvard University, heritage language speakers often
show an incomplete and insufficient understanding of their heritage language, leading them to
either value it less and/or to simply feel at more ease not having to speak it (Polinsky). Though I
had originally viewed this concern over a definition to be semantics, I do now value the
importance of labels in that it can be used to empower the status of heritage language speakers
and/or give rights to these individuals whom often deal with issues regarding minority rights
(Fisherman). This paper will aim to focus on examining Cantonese as a heritage language for
young adults in the US and China, and how it struggles to maintain itself in two different
circumstances in which pressure is put upon by the majority language in each country.

Cantonese Chinese is a language mainly spoken regions of Southern China such as the
Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macau (Lewis). However, since 2001, the Cantonese
languages linguistic authority in those areas was severely challenged by the Standard Written
and Spoken Chinese Law that legally officiated Mandarin Chinese to be taught in schools and
used in the media and government (Zemin). Despite the obstacles it faces due to Chinas
language policy, Cantonese culture, as most ethnic cultures, is deeply rooted into the history and
traditions of those regions and is not so easily cast away. Hong Kongs role as an ally for the
Cantonese language is significant in that it offers more political freedom and activism on behalf
of the language that would be censored or limited in mainland China. An example of this cultural
activism is the differing gap between Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong versus mainland China.
The performing art is an old tradition of Cantonese culture that is also able to carry messages of
cultural morals as well as political statements. In mainland China, the art is marketed as a symbol
of unity or commonality between the mainland and its neighboring island of Hong Kong, a
cultural treasure that both Cantonese-speaking populations can find solace in (Sebag). However,
in Hong Kong, Cantonese Opera is rather used as a tool for political commentary, free of
censorship or communist ideologies (Sebag). In addition, Hong Kong provides to be a powerful
supporter when Cantonese people of the mainland make an effort to promote and sustain
Cantonese culture through language. Such support was vital in 2010, when major protests
occurred on the streets of Guangzhou in response to a governmental proposal that would force
Guangzhou media to report in Mandarin over Cantonese, despite having a majority Cantonese
speaking audience (Branigan). Following these protests was a more peaceful movement towards
the promotion of Cantonese as a language and culture through a proposed Cantonese Day on
July 25, an anniversary of the Guangzhou Television Protests (Lau).

The repercussions of legally standardizing Mandarin over Cantonese has had an effect
worldwide, more specifically in the context of the United States. Spanish, for a while, has been
commonly chosen as a foreign language elective for many students including myself, listening
our parents and teachers tell us that it is the most useful tool to have in a country where it is the
largest non-English language population. However, I have found this recent fervor of learning
the language of the future, shifting its target to Chinese. My parents, who currently live in
Shanghai, China, consistently remind me how valuable an asset such as speaking Chinese and
being able to have an internship in China would look on my resume. My aunt, the stereotypical
Asian tiger mom, questioned my choice to continue to AP Spanish when kids from Korea are
even choosing to study abroad in China over the United States. There is nothing wrong about this
push, except for the fact that the Chinese they refer to is Mandarin, the language that will
continue to be supported and encouraged by the government of China.
The push for learning Mandarin Chinese as a professional asset for those in my
generation also affects the Cantonese-heritage speakers, whose fluency in one language even in
the same language family, does not translate to fluency in another, especially if they are not
fluent in their heritage language to begin with. This causes many Cantonese-heritage students
such as Jessica Lin, a rising junior at the University of Washington, to pursue college-level
Mandarin Chinese courses. According to the Seattle Globalist article, Lin was placed in a nonheritage level track for Mandarin, despite the fact that she was fairly fluent in Cantonese around
her family (Kwan). Though Lin believes that her Cantonese background still aids her in the
learning curve for Mandarin, she will continue to gain fluency in a language that is not heritage
language spoken by her family (Kwan). This is the issue of a generational divide, not just in
fluency of a language between a grandparent and a grandchild for example, but actually in the

fact that they will speak two different languages. Despite such a glaring concern, some
Cantonese heritage speakers choose to remain more optimistic about gradually becoming more
fluent in Mandarin over Cantonese, such as Francis Lo, my interviewee. When asked if he felt
that he was being forced to sacrifice his Cantonese in favor of learning Mandarin for work, he
did not feel that way because speaking Mandarin helped him put himself in a Chinese-frame-ofmind, where he would concentrate on speaking a non-English language. Regardless, his
increasing fluency in Mandarin over Cantonese and my familys residency in Shanghai where
Mandarin is mostly spoken and taught, will result in my sister becoming a Mandarin Chinese
heritage speaker, even though her cultural and ethnic background trace back to Cantonese. From
then on, are her children who will learn Chinese from her, considered Mandarin Chinese heritage
speakers as well? The shift for learning Mandarin has repercussions that can literally change
what heritage language will be inherited down families.
Looking through a wider lens, one can also observe the impact of the shift toward
Mandarin over Cantonese in the community. Due to Mandarin being academically valued
amongst young adults in the present day, schools in the community adjust accordingly.
Cantonese in the academic community is rarely valued, with no public schools nor universities
around the Seattle area offering Cantonese education. Though a main source of heritage language
education stems from community after-schools, only one school (Chong Wa Education Society)
out of five that I found during my research, offered Cantonese lessons, but for only adults as a
9PM Tuesday night class. When asked about the lack of Cantonese education resources, the
contact for the school, Betty Lau, stated that the school switched from youth Cantonese lessons
to Mandarin many years ago, as well as most other Chinese after-schools. It seems that
Cantonese language is maintained through more underlying aspects of Cantonese culture such as

restaurants/food, performing arts such as Cantonese Opera, and mainly family. However, it is
important to note that out of the three previously mentioned, only family really affects the
younger and future generations as many traditional cultural practices suffer from being
considered outdated or of low-priority.
It is interesting to compare Cantonese to other heritage languages such as those of my
peers in my final presentation as all of them face different types of challenges in their
maintenance. Though Hebrew does not have as large of a population presence compared to
Cantonese, I do think that it is tremendously advantageous for Hebrew to have such a significant
religious role in Judaism. Languages like Hebrew, although not without obstacles, have the
added benefit of the support and necessity from the religious community to produce more
community as well as academic resources. Religion, in addition, is more highly regareded as
family values and are much more likely to be actively passed down than a heritage language.
Maintenance wise, Cantonese as a heritage language is similar to Amharic in that due to official
resources being limited, many stem their knowledge of the language and culture from personal
aspects like family or simply an informal community presence through gatherings in restaurants.
A different language perspective that I found fascinating was that of Dr. Sandjaja as part of the
student-teacher panel in class. Her Indonesian heritage was very different than other heritage
cultures that my peers had presented in that Indonesian heritage was a fusion of multiple ethnic
languages like Sanskrit, Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch, and Chinese. Dr. Sandjaja in particular
heralded from a Cantonese Chinese heritage, where she discussed how Cantonese culture
influences could be seen in Indonesian culture through fashion and language. The fact that such a
deeply rooted ethnic culture stemmed from such a wide variety of other languages and cultures
has prompted me to think about the future where a generation of heritage speakers of multiple

languages will ultimately begin to merge. This idea may seem too imaginary, however, seeing
that the United States is commonly referred to as a salad bowl of cultures and with the
continuously decreasing fluency for heritage languages that are inherited without formal
schooling, it does not seem so far-fetched.
Many aspects of this paper thus far has highlighted the more pessimistic side to the
maintenance of Cantonese as a heritage language against the odds of Mandarin and English in
China and the United States, respectively. I do believe Cantonese still maintains its authority as a
language even in China regardless of stringent language policy and its future is certainly brighter
than those of even smaller or more difficult upbringing like Lushootseed. However, its ability to
be maintained as a heritage language in the United States throughout future generations will
become increasingly difficult, as with any other heritage language, especially with Mandarin
assuming such an influential global position. The majority of the lectures and articles we have
read in class seek to alleviate this decline with language policy, educational reform, and etc. But
looking past maintenance prospects, I think that McWhorter in his article, The Cosmopolitan
Tongue: the Universality of English, brought up a valid point about how even if the language
does gradually lose its casual and fluent speakers, it is not to say the entire culture is condemned
to extinction (McWhorter). Cantonese, relative to languages with a much smaller population, has
such a deeply rooted culture in centuries of history as well as modern society that it is unlikely to
die out because one aspect of their culture has gone extinct. Japanese is a good example of such
line of thought in a way where the amount of heritage/native Japanese speakers are declining or
losing interest in the maintenance of the language, yet, its culture is so fervently revered by nonnatives. This outside support can sometimes be viewed as unwelcome or intrusive, but it is not
to say that that support will not help in providing resources for the language if such desire arises

again in the heritage-speaker community. Perhaps, if Cantonese culture was to be more globally
celebrated, Cantonese could elevate its status as a heritage language without having legal
backing or simply gain more resources to support its heritage speakers in the future if they
choose to do so.
In an increasingly English dominant country that has a deep history of inherent
xenophobia, heritage language speakers often suffer setbacks to their education and maintenance
in the United States. Unfortunately, Cantonese as a heritage language must face another
challenge in the form of the legally standardized Mandarin Chinese that is gradually gaining
authority not only in China, but globally. However, that is not to completely condemn the
language to extinction. Cantonese as a language enjoys a great presence in China and the United
States and is largely populated enough by speakers that other aspects of Cantonese culture is
unlikely to die out with the language. As with other heritage languages in the US, Cantonese
could certainly stand to gain from further support from its community as a family value in
addition to becoming more widely celebrated by non-heritage speakers. A big step towards
further maintenance of Cantonese in younger generations would be having more academic
resources in the form of after-schools, as inheritance of the language as a child is essential in any
language maintenance.

Works Cited

Branigan, T. (2010, July 25). Protesters Gather in Guangzhou to Protect Cantonese Language.
New York: Guardian News. Retrieved June 11, 2015
Fishman, Joshua. 2001. In Joy K. Peyton et al. (eds). Heritage Languages in America:
Preserving a National Resource. McHenry, IL and Washington D.C, Delta Systems and
Center for Applied Linguistics, 87-97. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Kelleher, A. 2010. Heritage Briefs: What is a heritage language. Washington DC: Center for
Applied Linguistics. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Kwan, C. (2015, January 5). Growing up illiterate...in my family language. Seattle: The Seattle
Globalist. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Lau, M. (2014, July 25). Guangzhou Locals Seek 'Cantonese Day' to Help Preserve Mother
Tongue. Hong Kong: South China Morning Post. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig. (2015) Ethnologue: Languages of the
World, Eighteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Polinsky, M. Heritage Languages. Oxford: Oxford Biographies Online. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
McWhorter, J. (2009) The Cosmopolitan Tongue: the Universality of English. World Affairs.
Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Sebag-Montefiore, C. (2013, April 13). In Hong Kong, Cantonese Opera Takes Pride of Place.
Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Zemin, J. 2001. Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written
Chinese Language (Order of the President No.37). Peoples Republic of China. Retrieved
June 11, 2015.