Why I speak Hakka

[Kelvin & Henri <kachie-hakit@account-pro.com>]

Dear Patricia, Dr. Lau Chunfat, members of the forum,
Patricia would like some feedback on how the Hakka language is taught at home. Dr. Lau, is the linguistics specialist in Hong Kong and professor who teaches this discipline.

I attended a networking session today, where a professor from Ryerson Univ. uses Hakka to make connections with friends and acquaintances all over the world. He's planning to set up a community college in Meizhou this year and is excited about it, because he'll be going to Meizhou where Hakka is the primary language.

Hope you succeed Patricia in teaching your kids Hakka.
Henrietta.

Hi Henrietta
  
First Id like to say how refreshing it is to find information regarding Hakka culture on the net.
  
My parents are from of the New Territories and  I was born, bred and educated in Northern Ireland. 
  
I speak Hakka related to that region in China and I would like to think that I was a Hakka person, as well as British/Irish.
My parents made a point of teaching me Hakka as a child so that I could communicate with my family members, especially my grandmothers. 
  
I think that being able to speak Hakka allows a deeper appreciation however is not essential. Many of my cousins who speak one or more Chinese dialects and those who do not speak any Chinese would still regard themselves to be Hakka.
  
A generalisation that I have picked up from my mother and from reading the Hakka pages is that migration is in the "Hakka Blood". All of my aunts and uncles from both parents sides have moved from Hong Kong and all of their children speak a degree of Hakka however English tends to be the main language.
  
I intend to teach my children (when they arrive) Hakka in the sense that I want them to be able to communicate with their maternal grandparents in the language that they grew up with, they'll learn English at school like I did. 
  
I would be interested in hearing from overseas Chinese that feel that they may find or have found it difficult/easy in teaching their kids Hakka.  
  
Regards
  
Trisha