Cantonese is a dialect of the Chinese language family spoken in Hong Kong, and it is an ever changing language. The forum site Hong Kong Golden Forum (香港高登) started off as a discussion forum for consumer electronics and computer hardware but became popular with more and more posts on issues in Hong Kong. This metropolis has its own slang. For example, Chok Yeung is Cantonese slang meaning to tease someone making pretentious, model-like poses for photos. Another example is 3Q, which means thank you.

Hong Kong is a place where the cultures of East and West blend: the official languages are Chinese and English. After the reunification with the motherland and the increasing number of mainland tourists in Hong Kong, as well as many Hong Kongers who do business in mainland China, more and more people in this region can speak or have learnt Mandarin (Putonghua).

As China is becoming more and more influential among nations, people learning Chinese learn simplified Chinese, the mainland’s language system. However, over 94% of Hong Kong people are still using Cantonese as their first language, and, although simplified Chinese is less complicated in terms of writing, it cannot gain the same status as traditional Chinese.

The reason for conserving traditional Chinese characters is, first of all, its long existing history, which makes it a cultural heritage worth preserving. Then, comparing the two kinds of Chinese characters, the majority of people would think that the traditional ones look more elegant and tidy. As for the oral language, it is unique. For instance, the Cantonese term “無厘頭” meaning one is telling something totally irrelevant to what has been said before can be translated roughly, but its meaning can only be understood in real life experiences, and there is no exact definition for it.

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