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American professor speaks up for Cantonese to preserve Hong Kong’s heritage

Robert Bauer from HKU is writing a Cantonese-English dictionary that will include colloquial terms, believing language represents culture

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Robert Bauer came to Hong Kong in 1997 to dedicate himself to the study of Cantonese. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

For many locals in Hong Kong, the decline of Cantonese amid the rise of Putonghua – the unifying speech of mainland China – is inevitable.

Surprisingly, an American living in the city has taken it upon himself to preserve Cantonese.

Professor Robert Bauer, a fluent speaker of Cantonese, said he believed Hong Kong’s predominant tongue would die out “in another couple of generations” if the present trend continued.

Bauer did not think many Hongkongers were concerned about upholding Cantonese.

“As far as the future of Cantonese is concerned, I have to say I’m not very optimistic,” he said. “There are economic, social, educational and political pressures. The situation may be beyond saving.”

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