Such language!

Dr Jose Lai, Director of the English Language Teaching Unit at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, while acknowledging that Hong Kong has not been up to the mark with English, ruled herself out as a hawk on this issue.

Citing historical and social factors for the phenomenon, she admits that English is not easy to learn, let alone mastering it.

"The English language is also to blame too. It's too complicated in both its spoken and written modes. Then there are the formalities. The English language system is sophisticated. People need to be introduced to it properly and intelligently," she says.

Then, there's Hong Kong's historical and deep-rooted Chinese culture with the Cantonese dialect having sunk into the local way of life, thus hindering the extent to which English can be used.

Dr Jose Lai calls for more professional training for students to help them lift their standard of English and for experts to put their heads together to do it. SL Luo / China Daily

"Cantonese is in the blood of Hong Kong Chinese. Many are reluctant to use English in day-to-day conversations, especially when they're communicating with locals, because they feel others may sneer at them with the impression that they are just 'showing off,"' says Lai.

"Also, the linguistics environment in Hong Kong is not as favorable as we wish it to be. You see local people talking in the street - if there's an option to use English or Chinese, they would certainly use Chinese, which is their mother tongue.

"Hong Kong too is a very big society. Of course, there are people, including people who have a good standard of English. But, there are others who are still struggling. Generally, there's a trend that English is slipping away."

Lai gave another classic example of gibberish English being used here, adding to the tally brought up by China Daily. "Sometimes, if you walk into, say, a clinic. A sign hung on the door reads, "Opened." This is something laughable. The language awareness is not high enough."

So, what's the solution?

In Lai's view, a lot of people would like to speak good English, because in Hong Kong and China, the need for proper use of the English language is on the rise. But, she thinks, they are not prepared for it.

"Language experts and educators have to put their heads together to seek a constructive way for the younger generation to learn English. We need more professional training for them.

"We must approach the issue in a more positive way. I've been giving a lot of encouragement to my students to ensure they do it the right way. We need to help them to get along and teach them how to 'fish'. Role models can thus be created at big companies and organizations," Lai adds.

Hong Kong also has several prestigious international language schools and facilities for those eager to acquire the skills they need, to help them climb up the academic and corporate ladders. But, it seems the exorbitant fees demanded, are putting potential students off, cushioning the crucial role those schools are supposed to play in the academic and social arena.

Another linguistics expert, who preferred anonymity, took a more hawkish stance, declaring that we must not let the standard of English to rot or degenerate, or any other language for that matter, or else Hong Kong would go down the drain.

"Hong Kong has to maintain and live up to its reputation as an international city and strengthen its competitive edge globally," he said.

He agreed that picking up any language requires the will and courage to succeed. "The thing is you must have a very strong foundation, just like when erecting a building, or else it will collapse. The same logic applies to learning a language or dialect. One has to start from zero and go all the way up."

He reckons that skilful use of any language is not necessarily inborn or that it's sure to go well with a native speaker. "Being able to speak, and master a language or dialect are two entirely different things. The same goes with oral and written English."

The remark brings me back to a stunning experience I had had with a woman expatriate journalist in Hong Kong years ago.

I asked her what's the difference between a TOY factory and a TOYS factory? Her reply: "A toy factory is one that makes one toy while a toys factory makes more than one."

It shocked me to the bone.

The proliferation of other forms of "localized English" spoken by nationals of various countries in Hong Kong is another drawback in the push to drive English standards to a higher level.

I asked a Singaporean resident in Hong Kong what he thought of the form of English so widely spoken in his home country, compared with Hong Kong's, and whether it would help Hong Kong people in the long run.

He replied in classic "Singlish": "We have our own culture lah! It's been with us for generations. We are used to it, you know. Come on, man, it's very hard to force yourself to change and speak in a way you're not used to."

Naturally, not every Singaporean speaks the way the majority of them do. Certainly, not their nation's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, a gifted orator widely recognized for his superb command of the English language.

The subtle Lee once remarked: "In any language, nobody, however good with it, can be one step ahead of his or her own mother tongue. I had noticed that one of our officials, when she was reading the script in English, she looked down. But when she was reading it in Chinese, she looked up."

Hong Kong may still have a long way to go in pushing up the standard of English to the level it needs and deserves as a world city, and to stay ahead on the global stage.

The author of this article would like to emphasize that this article is not intended to be malicious, nor is it meant to ridicule or degrade any individual or party. The message is: Are we going to allow future generations, our children, to grow up with gibberish English and let them get away with "Chinglish" "Singlish" or "Japlish"?