WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 1983
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USE OF PUTONGHUA MAY BE CONSIDERED
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AN AD HOC GROUP OF OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS COULD BE FORMED TO CONSIDER WHETHER STANDING ORDERS SHOULD BE AMENDED TO ENABLE PUTONGHUA TO BE USED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AS WELL AS THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF DOING SO, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, THE HON SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SAID TODAY.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON ALEX WU IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SIR PHILIP SAID THE AD HOC GROUP COULD INCLUDE MEMBERS OF THE UMELCO CHINESE LANGUAGE POLICY PANEL.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE PRESENT STANDING ORDER WHICH SPECIFIED THAT A MEMBER MIGHT ADDRESS THE COUNCIL IN EITHER ENGLISH OR CANTONESE DATED FROM AN AMENDMENT MADE IN 1971 FOLLOWING A RECOMMENDATION IN THE FIRST REPORT OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY SIR KENNETH FUNG PING-FAN.
+THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERED WHETHER CANTONESE ALONE, CANTONESE AND MANDARIN (PUTONGHUA), OR MANDARIN ALONE SHOULD BE ADOPTED, HE SAID.
ON THE BASIS THAT CANTONESE WAS THE USUAL LANGUAGE OF THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF HONG KONG PEOPLE, AND THAT AN EVEN GREATER NUMBER UNDERSTOOD CANTONESE, THE COMMITTEE CONCLUDED THAT CANTONESE WOULD AT THE PRESENT MOMENT HAVE MORE RELEVANCE AND REALITY FOR THE POPULATION AS A WHOLE AND THAT INTERPRETATION FACILITIES
ONLY,+ HE SAID.
SHOULD BE CONFINED TO ENGLISH AND CANTONESE
THE COMMITTEE WENT ON TO SAY, HE ADDED, THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF INTRODUCING MANDARIN +IN YEARS TO COME SHOULD BE KEPT UNDER REVIEW.
+WE HAVE NOT, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, FORMALLY REVIEWED THE POSITION, SINCE 1971. PERHAPS WE SHOULD DO SO NOW AND I SHALL CONSULT WITH THE SENIOR MEMBER, HE SAID.
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