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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Education Report. |
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People in Hong Kong speak a rich mixture of languages. |
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Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 156 years |
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before was returned to Chinese control in 1997. |
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English was the only official language until 1994. |
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Most people in Hong Kong today speak Cantonese, |
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but Mandarin and other dialects also are heard, |
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and English as the British used |
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is still widely spoken and taught here. |
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Now however, many people are choosing to learn English |
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as it spoken in the United States. |
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Victor Chan, for example, has children |
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who attend school called Nature EQ on Saturday and Sunday, |
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they are learning to say words the American way. |
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Mr Chan says he wants his sons to learn American English, |
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because he plans to send them |
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to the United States for further study. |
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Nature EQ is one of a growing number of schools |
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in Hong Kong that offer American English classes. |
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Frankie Ng opened the school 17 years ago, |
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at that time, he had only 40 students. |
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Today, the school has 350 students, |
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it does not have space for any more. |
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Mr Ng says American English is clear and defined, |
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he says it is easy to teach and easily understood. |
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That, however, is not the main concern of the children. |
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Student Sam Yu has another reason |
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for studying English spoken the American way. |
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is getting more and more important, |
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and is maybe taking over the dominance of British English, |
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so I'm willing to learn," said Sam Yu. |
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Public schools in the former British colony |
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still teach mostly British English. |
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But the number of private language schools |
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teaching American English is growing. |
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In Hong Kong's Tseung Kwan O district, for example, |
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the "American English Workshop school" had 20 students a week |
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when it opened one year ago. |
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Today, it has more 180 each week. |
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Some observers say American English |
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is becoming the language of international business. |
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Increased contact with American culture, |
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like movies, television programs, computer games |
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and the Internet is spreading American expressions and accents |
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in areas other than business. |
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Language teachers in Hong Kong say wealthy people |
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who live in mainland China are helping |
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to increase the demand for classes in American English. |
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Mainland Chinese are crossing into Hong Kong |
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because it has more educational choices. |
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But for now, people hearing English in the streets of Hong Kong |
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are mainly hearing traditional British English. |
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"We can understand both, but for what we speak, |
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the British accent," said one local woman. |
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"The British is better I think," commented a local man. |
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And that's the Education Report. |
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Listen again for another Education Report from VOA Learning English. |
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I'm Avi Arditti. |
