Heritage Language: Cantonese

One reason Cantonese is an influential language in the world is because it is spoken by many people in different countries. It has been shown that “Cantonese is spoken by about 100 million people in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi and in neighboring areas such as Hong Kong and Macao, as well as throughout South-East Asia in such places as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam”(About Cantonese). Many people speak Cantonese in these Asian Countries, and the number of Cantonese speakers in the world increases when taken into account that Cantonese speakers are one of the largest populations that immigrates to Canada.

Historically, the majority of the immigrants from China originated from two provinces, Fujian and Guangdong. This has resulted in countries immigrated to having a higher proportion of Fujian and Guangdong languages/dialect speakers to Chinese speakers than in China as a whole.

The largest number of Cantonese speakers outside mainland China and Hong Kong are found in Canada and the United States; however, speakers of Min dialects of Cantonese predominately live in south-east Asia. Due to the wide reach of the language, the dialect of Cantonese spoken varies from country to country, for example The Cantonese spoken in Malaysia is known to have borrowed substantially from Malay and other languages.

Map ofCantonese Immigrants in Ontario

Toronto & Ontario

In Toronto “Almost I in 3 people (32%) speak a native language other than English or French.” (J.K., Chambers, Maple Leaf Rap) “. Because of the multiple languages in Toronto, as city it remains a mosaic of many cultures. Forty-seven percent of the population had a mother tongue in a language other than English or French." (Languages, Immigration, Citizenship, Mobility and Migration) Among those 47% of the Toronto population, 420,000 speak Chinese. The map to the right shows the relative amounts of Cantonese speaking immigrants living in each of the divisions of Ontario. From it you can tell that Cantonese immigrants mostly live in Northern Ontario or in and around Toronto.

Cantonese Dictionary

For Cantonese speakers who have came here individually, attached is a book link that can help you find a Cantonese-English dictionary. These dictionaries can be very helpful when in a primarily English speaking country like Canada. Even if you are not confident with the English language, try speak up frequently. Speaking with confident English speakers is the best way to practice your own English.

You may also find this book in OISE, the East Asian Library, and the Missisuaga Library