Re: Hakka and "Yab6gung1 hau4liung2" cflau

[Clem Lee <clem2@idt.net>]

Dear Mr. Liu:

I must say I admire you for not only identifying yourself as a Hakka, but 
you also "pratice what you preach". To speak the Hakka language at home 
and in public is a monumental task. 

I know, because my nephews and nieces from HK, Taiwan, Canada and the 
United States have great difficulties speaking the Hakka language. It may 
not entirely be their or their parents' fault for not keeping up with 
Hakka. Most of the time the environment or the society they live in makes 
it very difficult for them to keep up with the Hakka language. 

I agree with you that a culture could die with the death of a language. 
What about in China? Surely, the Hakkas in Moi Yan and other Hakka 
counties must be speaking Hakka at home, in public and in business. If 
that is the case, there is hope that we can survive! Can we get some 
feedback from our brothers and sisters in our Homeland?   

Like you and your family, we only speak Hakka at home and in public. 
Although, I cannot vouch for my future grand children, since we are 
living in a foreign land.  

Best wishes to you and your family.

Clem Lee

>>>>>>Liu zinfad wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>QUOTE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Dear Mr. Guo,

I read your opinion on the forum and I also feel sorry to see "Hakka" 
being
viewed as a biological race.

If you can read Chinese, please refer to the article of Zhao et al (1991) 
on
the blood immunoglobin comparison of people in China. You will be 
astonished
to see that the blood sample from Hakka people (Mexian) is not 
significantly
different from Cantonese (Guangzhou), She people (jinhong) and Southwest
Mandarin speaking people (Liuzhou). Just go for a blood check for 
yourself
and see if you are inside this range to be ranked
Hakka-Cantonese-She-Southwest Mandarin. However, this does not 
automatically
prove that you are "Hakka", because you are inside this biological range
only. Hakka is a socialinguistical group. The only "proof" is that you
believe yourself to be Hakka, and the best think is that you live like a
Hakka and SPEAK Hakka.

I think I need not go checking because my father is Hakka. He is 84 and
speaks only Hakka. and I am speaking Hakka everyday within my family,
including my children who are ten and eight years old. It is not easy to
keep children speaking fluent hakka in Hong Kong becvause the people turn 
a
curious blick to you if you speak this "exotic" tongue in the public. I 
like
Mr. Chungs story of "Yab6gung1 hau4 liung2" because may people respect 
the
Hakka culture just like Mr. Yab6 respect the dragon, but if he is asked 
to
practise the minimal requirement of Hakka life, i.e. speaking Hakka, then 
he
got afraid. If the Hakka language dies, I cannot see the difference 
between
a Hakka and non-Hakka. 

Liu zinfad
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END QUOTE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>