To understand the existing challenge faced by Cantonese speakers from an outsider perspective

Discussion

Imagine some time in the future in France where the French spoke French and wrote in English in their daily life.

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Imagine the French government implemented a policy at schools across the country where English was used for teaching.

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As a result young population could only speak English and were becoming in favour of abondoning French.

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This isn't a story. This is exactly what is happening in Guangdong of China and Hong Kong, where people used to speak in Cantonese and write in a way that highly resembled Mandarin (or Putonghua).

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The usage of Cantonese has also fallen and Mandarin is increasingly spoken by young generation because of government policies to the point that young generation can no longer be able to communicate in Cantonese.

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One could imagine this would trigger a revolution in France if that happened because of the strong identity and nationalism of the French. Yet this has not happened in Guangdong or Hong Kong.

Posted Jun 12, 2026, 8:13 PM UTC

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