EDUCATION | Thais In Hong Kong

Thai Language Education

When it comes to Thai language acquisition, you may question "I won't be using it often, what's the point of learning the language?". In fact, language does not only serve communicative function, it is also a way to pass the culture and tradition to the next generations so the diversity of language and culture can be preserved and maintained. The actions you take to acknowledge, learn and respect the language mean more than you imagine! Here we have a summary of the perception of Thai language extracted from our interviews:

- used in workplace together with Cantonese
- for Thai community activity
- not necessary within family nor in Hong Kong (especially for migrants who identify themselves as Hong Kong people)

It is not difficult to see that the biggest challenge is that Thai language and identity both shift towards the mainstream Cantonese language, and there is a tendency that Hong Kong identity partly or totally replaces the Thai identity for the second generation. They have little motivation to learn Thai, thus their identities start to slip away with the language. Though Thai is not widely spoken in Hong Kong, it is important to note that Thai language serves the

the purpose of preserving the Thai cultural root, so in no way should it be totally eliminated. Here comes the question: How to reverse or slow down the convergence and homogenization?
Do it inside out. Perception of the insiders of the Thai immigrant community needs a change. As family education is a crucial agent that leads to the first step in language learning for children, parents are the are the gatekeepers who either pull their children into the Thai-speaking group by creating and exposing them in the Thai-speaking environ-ment, or push them into the non-Thai speaking outsider group.

As Mrs. Ratana-Ubol, Kanokwal, the Thai professor in HKU has mentioned, Thai language learning does not interfere acquisition of Cantonese, English or other languages. Parents should be noted that family is an important institution for the Thai language education to construct the Thai identity by teaching and speaking in their mother-tongue language to their children. Their language attitudes surely exert influence on those of their children and they have the power to motivate their children to learn and practice the language.

Family education can be done by many ways,, such as the sandwich technique - using Thai and Cantonese inter-changeably and repeat in the pattern "lei ho => sawadeeka => lei ho", storytelling in both Thai and Cantonese, and expose their children to Thai materials and cultures e.g. songs, tv channel through the highly accessible internet.

School education also take a seat in preserving the Thai language and linguistic diversity in Hong Kong. Students in Hong Kong regardless of what their mother tongue is, should be taught to appreciate the cultural value in addition to economic value of language, respect the existence of minority groups and their languages, as well as to regard multi-lingualism as an advantageous asset. More Thai courses should be opened for immigrants and second generation of immigrants, as language learning is easier more effective in early childhood. The acceptance and open attitude of the host community can also encourage the preservation of the language and identity, thus both the inside and outside force should work hand-in-hand.