Vancouver's top three ethnic languages: Cantonese, Punjabi, Tagalog

By Alex P. Vidal


VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Learning seven simple phrases is not much more difficult than learning to use chopsticks. 
This was the gist of former Van­couver Mayor Sam Sullivan’s mes­sage when he conceptualized the introduction of seven phrases of Vancouver’s three most important languages -- Cantonese, Punjabi and Tagalog—in a forum on “Greet­ing Fluency” at the Global Civic Society on Hamilton Street recently.
Sullivan invited three lecturers led by renowned performing arts mentor Jackie Diy to speak on the three languages in a three-hour fo­rum attended by college teachers, businessmen, students, community leaders, among other professionals and sector representatives.
Cantonese, one of the nine ma­jor languages spoken in China by people mostly in the southern prov­ince of Canton (Guangdong) and in nearby areas, is Vancouver’s second most spoken dialect, according to lecturer David Choi. Punjabi is the spoken dialect in India and Pakistan, while Tagalog is official language of the Filipinos, now the third largest visible minor­ity in British Columbia with almost 120,000 population. Sullivan said although they ulti­mately come from the same source they now belong to completely dif­ferent language families.


SIMPLE PHRASES


He said greeting fluency can be achieved by learning at least seven simple phrases in another language. By learning even seven short phras­es one can experience the sounds and structures that define a whole culture and open doors to a com­munity of neighbours.
“Vancouver has many new citi­zens who struggle daily in a sea of the strange sounds of English,” said the former mayor who is recipient of the Order of Canada.
He added: “Their mother lan­ guages are a deep part of their sense of identity with sounds that are fa­miliar and elicit memories of anoth­er home. To have someone address them in their own native language is like the comforting sound of an old friend and can create an immediate bond.”


100 LANGUAGES


Sullivan pointed out that over the last few decades, Vancouver’s streets have filled with voices speaking more than 100 languages. “For most of us the sounds seem like impenetrable babble. Although it is unlikely that any of us will become fluent in these languages, this should not deter us from discovering the treasures that they hold nor the richness of the re­lationships they can lead to. I believe that with a minimal amount of effort most of us can become Greeting Fluent,” he said.
Vancouver has many new citizens who struggle daily in a sea of the strange sounds of English, accord­ing to Sullivan, a wheelchair user who is Canada’s Paralympics am­bassador.
“Their mother languages are a deep part of their sense of identity with sounds that are familiar and elicit memories of another home. To have someone address them in their own native language is like the comforting sound of an old friend and can create an immediate bond,” he said. He added that “languages can shape the way we perceive and entire value systems and traces of ancient history are embedded in them.” “Perhaps the reason most Eng­lish speakers don’t make an effort to speak another language is be­cause we assume others will treat us the way we treat them,” Sullivan explained.


'HERCULEAN EFFORT'


Thousands of new citizens in the community reportedly “make the herculean effort daily to live their public life in our strange language.”
“The response they get from us is impatience, a critical comment, a passing over. What a difference when an English speaker utters an awkward phrase in one of our many other languages,” the former mayor said.
A graduate of Bachelor of Sci­ence in Commerce major in Busi­ness Management at the De La Salle University in Manila, Diy, the most applauded speaker, is a former creative drama teacher at the Hyde Creek Montessori in Port Coquitlam. B.C. and has represented her school and city in various declamation and oratorical contests in English and Fili­pino in her youth.