The no-mother-tongue verdict in Hong Kong
Shall Cantonese be allowed in English classrooms? That is the question for all language teachers in Hong Kong. There is a myth that the student's first language should be banned in English lessons. This general belief is held among many parents and teachers. Could the English-only method be suitable for all levels of primary school in Hong Kong? I doubt it.
Teaching English at an underprivileged primary school has made me rethink whether being a purist (English only) is beneficial to students' language learning. For slow learners or so-called less-able students, using Cantonese in English classrooms may help them build up learning confidence and ease their resistance to English learning. As an English Language teacher, I confess that we should strive best to maintain the English environment in school and create more opportunities for students to practice English. However, there may be some opportunities to use the mother tongue to benefit students’ learning. For example, some studies revealed that using the first language in an English classroom could help teach abstract concepts such as grammar systems. Sometimes, using the mother tongue could save more lesson time and create a comfort zone for less-able students to learn better. According to research findings, it is a common practice in some European countries.
From my experience, using Cantonese in the English classroom is helpful when teaching tenses, especially for less-able students. They can easily follow the teacher’s explanation and constantly keep their motivation to learn. Perhaps, the use of the student’s mother tongue can facilitate extracting their existing language system to decode the new language system.
References / Further Readings
Littlewood, W., & Yu, B. (2011). First language and target language in the foreign language classroom. Language Teaching, 44(1), 64-77.
Macaro, E., & Lee, J. (2013). Teacher language background, codeswitching, and English‐ only instruction: Does age make a difference to learners' attitudes?. TESOL Quarterly, 47(4), 717-742.
Swain, M., Kirkpatrick, A., & Cummins, J. (2011). How to have a guilt-free life using Cantonese in the English class a handbook for the English language teacher in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Research Centre into Language Acquisition and Education in Multilingual Societies, Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Wang, L., Kirkpatrick, A., & Adamson, B. (2019). Trilingual Education in Hong Kong Primary Schools. Singapore: Springer
About the Author
Peter TAI obtained a BA in Translation from Guangzhou University, a MA in Language Studies from Hong Kong Baptist University, and a Diploma in Education (English for Primary Schools) and a Certificate in Catering for Diverse Learning Needs from The Education University of Hong Kong.
He is currently teaching English in an aided primary school and has over five years of experience in teaching Languages and students with special learning needs (SEN).