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Cantonese

My Language Use 

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About you
1 Do you consider yourself to be a native or fluent speaker of this language? If not, what language do you feel most comfortable speaking? Yes, I am a native speaker. However, I am more fluent in English.
2 What other language(s) do you speak? How well do you speak each one? English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog
3 What ethnic group do you identify with? Chinese
4 What kind of work does you family do? Professionals
5 What is your highest level of education? Master's Degree
6 How threatened do you think your language is? Not very threatened. There are many speakers of Cantonese in Malaysia, but not many of the younger generation can read the script. There is a possible danger of the loss of a deeper and more profound understanding and use of the language.
7 Would you want your child to attend vernacular education programs? Elementary, Secondary, University? Yes, especially in Elementary School to give her/him a good foundation in the language. A challenge here is that the Chinese language schools teach in Mandarin. Therefore, Cantonese will have to be taught primarily at home.
In your home community
8 How often do you speak your language? Daily, weekly, monthly, never? Daily
9 How often do you speak your national language? Daily, weekly, monthly, never? Daily (when I am home in Malaysia). But since I live and work in the Philippines (and am now in Hawai'i), I do not get to speak it at all unless I visit my family back in Malaysia.
10 How often do you speak your language? Daily, weekly, monthly, never? Daily

You to them Them to you
11 In what language(s) do you speak with your parents? Cantonese, English
 Cantonese, English
12 In what languages(s) do you speak with your grandparents? Cantonese
 Cantonese
13 In what language(s) do you speak with your brother(s)? English, Cantonese
 English, Cantonese
14 In what language(s) do you speak with your sister(s)? English, Cantonese
 English, Cantonese
15 If you are married, in what language(s) do you speak with your spouse? English, Tagalog
 English, Tagalog
16 If you have children, in what language(s) do you speak with your children? None
 None



17 If you have children, in what language(s) does your spouse speak with your children? None
 None



18 What language do you speak to the merchants at the bazaar/market? Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Cantonese Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Cantonese
19 What language do you speak to the merchants in the stores? Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Cantonese
 Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Cantonese
20 What language do you use for communication with members of local government? Bahasa Malaysia (and occasionally English) Bahasa Malaysia (and occasionally English)
21 What language do you use for communication with members of regional government? Bahasa Malaysia (and occasionally English) Bahasa Malaysia (and occasionally English)
22 What language do you use for communication with members of national government? What language do they use with you? Bahasa Malaysia (and occasionally English) Bahasa Malaysia (and occasionally English)
23 What language do you use to speak to your religious leaders? English, Mandarin (occasionally, Cantonese)
 English, Mandarin (occasionally, Cantonese)
24 What language do you speak to someone you do not know? Bahasa Malaysia or English
 Bahasa Malaysia or English

25 What language will a religious leader use to conduct a ritual? English, Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia
26 Do you speak your language to members of neighboring ethnic groups? If so, which one(s) and how often? No (they speak either their vernacular or Bahasa Malaysia, the national language of Malaysia, or English)
27 Do you ever speak the language of neighboring ethnic groups with members of those groups? If so, which one(s) and how often? Yes. I speak Bahasa Malaysia to ethnic Malays (which is also what I use to speak with ethnic Indians, apart from English).
28 Are there any members of your ethnic group who cannot speak your language? If yes, where? Yes. They are from among the younger generation who live in the cities and are more exposed to English in the media and in school. They prefer to speak English.
29 Are there any members of your ethnic group who speak your language differently from you? If yes, where? Yes, the older generation who speak a more in-depth (possibly, more formal) form of Cantonese. The Cantonese that many of my generation speaks could be a diluted form of the language.
30 Do most children in your community speak your language fluently? If, not what percent speak fluently? Yes, they most likely speak it at home. However, in an inter-ethnic setting (of Malay, Indian and Chinese children), they are more likely to speak either Bahasa Malaysia or English.

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