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Warren: Cantonese Is Losing The Fight Against The Mandarin
1/7/2006


The once famous language, Cantonese, is losing the fight against the Mandarin language. As Cantonese speakers try to find ways to speak Mandarin less and less try to learn Cantonese.

“I can’t communicate,” Carson Hom, a food industry owner, said. Hom only needed Cantonese and a little English to get by as a restaurant owner, Cantonese, to communicate with customers, and a little English to talk to health inspectors. But as Hom started his own food import company those 2 languages didn’t work anymore. Cantonese used to dominate most of China, being very vital in Hong Kong where many Cantonese speakers reside. But in the last 3 decades, wave of Mandarin immigrants moved in. Many Cantonese people are desperately trying to find ways to learn Mandarin by going to extremely full Mandarin class, learning from friends, making more Mandarin friends.

Cantonese is being challenged by Mandarin and Cantonese is backing down. Cantonese is also threatened by the Chinese Economy. Due to the economy not only Cantonese are trying to learn Mandarin, but also the rest of the U.S.A.