Bonjour to a Minority Language in Hong Kong: French

It was interesting to see how interviewees responded with such a wide range of answers, again signifying how everyone is different, and we cannot categorize them purely because they are from the same country. They all had different personal experiences depending on where they live, their workplace, and their eagerness to fit in with the local community. It was not possible to put everyone in the same mould. Our interviewees hardly shared anything in common besides their place of origin.

This was rather out of our expectation because growing up in Hong Kong, we have always thought it was a very multicultural city where most people spoke English and would be glad to help had you asked. After this project however, we realised perhaps Hong Kong is not as easy as it seems for foreigners, and we were the ones trapped in our bubble after all, clutching so tightly to our belief that Hong Kong is international and everyone speaks English.

2. Difficulty in Intergrating into Hong Kong

Despite the minor language barrier our interviewees suggested, there were still cultural barriers to face. “Aimee” observantly pointed out that “you can speak a language fluently but still never understand it’s culture. I was in South America for a few years and spoke fluent Spanish, but I still never understood why they did some things in a certain way or why some people behave the way they do” - emphasising that although language opens a door to culture and makes it more accessible, knowing the language does not necessarily guarantee understanding.

With others, they felt that locals were not welcoming to them even though they wanted to participate actively, such as Florence’s husband who suffered weird looks and comments when he went to watch a local movie, or Raphael who received immediate rejection when trying to talk to local people or ask for directions.

Yet, many interviewees took notice of how the French tend to stay in their little bubbles and only mix with other expats or just the French themselves. They stay in Hong Kong island, go to City’s Super and stay in their French circles. As an outsider, we might think that it could be difficult for them to integrate, but perhaps they do not want to, and are happy staying with just the French.

3. Difficulty in Preserving Cultural Identity

From the data, it is clear that the levels of “Frenchness” of some interviewees have decreased after living in Hong Kong for a long time and this could be due to several factors such as the environment, habits, and maintaining only a loose connection with ties at home. However, most interviewees also responded that they do not deliberately try to stay French or preserve their cultural identity, this is just the way they are and they do not pay extra effort to be French or be more local. Changes occur over time naturally and even though many have experienced a loss of “Frenchness”, none of them feel upset over it or were particularly bothered. Dr Meyer even asked rhetorically “Why do you have to assume that I love my country?”. Again, this shows how cultural views of individual differ and we should not blindly categorise individuals according to their nationality. A large proportion of our interviewees stated they wish to have a more international perspective and be more culturally diverse, especially the younger interviewees such as “Tom” and Mr Carminho.

Therefore, it can be concluded that even though there is a loss or change in cultural identity, our interviewees were not stressed over it and do not see it as a threat, rather an opportunity to be more of a global citizen and learn about other cultures.

And the interview result for cultural identity will be discussed in detail on the next page.

Concluding the views from our interviewees, it can be drawn that although there are difficulties with integrating into local culture and as it goes by saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, both sides carry the responsibility. On one hand perhaps Hong Kongers can be hostile and unhelpful, but on the other hand, some of the French would prefer to stay in their bubble and not to integrate. It is hard to say who bears the responsibility, but as long as people are happy and the French population in Hong Kong is still increasing by the year, it seems to be a pretty nice place to live for the French.