In a metropolis as worldwide and multicultural as Hong Kong, it’s hardly stunning that you simply hear many accents in workplaces, cafés, on the streets, and even at house. Hong Kong has a various mixture of cultures and is likely one of the friendliest cities in Asia, which implies that folks residing listed below are uncovered to a number of languages and methods of talking — whether or not in enterprise conferences or informal conversations. However how do these accents affect the way in which they understand others?
We at Preply, as language studying specialists offering English and Spanish courses on-line, lately surveyed 1,000 Hongkongers to find how accents are considered within the metropolis.
Questioning how Hongkongers really feel about your vocal model? Preserve studying to seek out out!
Key findings
- 49.8% of Hongkongers say the British accent is the sexiest overseas accent, adopted by French at 31.0%, and American at 28.4%.
- The Hong Kong accent ranks as essentially the most enticing Asian accent when talking English, and second general.
- Over 30% of Hongkongers admit to judging office abilities based mostly on accents.
- The Indian accent takes the highest spot as the toughest to grasp for 40.6% of individuals, adopted by Japanese (24.9%), Pakistani (19.9%), Chinese language (14.5%), and Indonesian (12.7%).
- Over 64% of respondents need to communicate Japanese, adopted by 42% for Korean, with Cantonese (24.9%), Mandarin (23.5%), and Thai (16%) additionally in style selections.
Half of Hongkongers discover the British accent essentially the most enticing, adopted by French and American
We requested members to rank which Asian and Western accents they discovered essentially the most interesting when talking English.
In relation to Western accents, the British accent claims the highest spot, with 49.8% of respondents discovering it essentially the most enticing. The subsequent hottest picks are French at 31.0% and American at 28.4%.
We additionally discovered that a great deal of hometown love got here into play, with 43.1% rating the Hong Kong accent as essentially the most alluring Asian accent when heard talking English. The Japanese accent is available in second (22.3%), and Singaporean third (15.9%).
The male choice for the Hong Kong accent (48.9%) is notably larger than the feminine choice (35.6%). Japanese is barely a preferred choice amongst males (26.3%) and doesn’t make the highest 5 for girls.
Curiously, English audio system within the metropolis think about Filipino essentially the most fascinating Asian accent, with it being the best choice for 27.7% of poll-takers. On the flip aspect, Hongkongers rated the Pakistani, Nepali, and Vietnamese accents the least sensual.
Nevertheless, 33.4% of these surveyed stated that they discover no explicit accent enticing. Moreover, 41.4% of ladies stated they don’t discover any accent attractive. In distinction, 26.5% of males felt the identical, suggesting a gender distinction in how accents affect perceptions of attractiveness and private preferences.
31.7% of Hongkongers admit to accent bias at work
Respondents have been additionally candid when requested whether or not they had ever judged their co-workers’ talents based mostly on their accents, with 31.7% admitting that accents form their notion of their colleagues’ competence.
Curiously, this tendency seems larger amongst youthful generations. Gen Z is very responsible of creating these judgments as 39.9% of respondents aged 16-26 confess they kind opinions about co-workers based mostly on their accents, with 30.7% of Millennials saying they do the identical.
If Hongkongers might get up talking a overseas language, they might select Japanese
In relation to languages Hongkongers would really like to have the ability to communicate, 64.2% of members say they need to get up talking Japanese fluently if they might, which is probably going a mirrored image of the recognition of Japanese tradition amongst locals.
Korean follows at 42.0%, and Cantonese rounds out the highest three with 24.9%. However, there are languages that almost all Hongkongers aren’t keen to choose up, like Lao (1.4%), Khmer (2.4%), and Hindi (2.8%).
Gender variations additionally play a job in the case of Hongkongers’ want record of languages. For example, ladies appear to have a stronger want to study Korean than males. Whereas 18.4% of males selected Korean as their high language if they might turn into fluent in a single day, a barely larger 24.3% of ladies made the identical selection.
The survey additionally revealed that extra non-Chinese language respondents need to study Cantonese, with 35.4% of English audio system and 47.1% of survey-takers who cited different mom tongues stating they want to study the language. We additionally discovered that Mandarin was a preferred selection amongst native English audio system (24.6%), and much more so amongst respondents who produce other first languages (44.1%).
Generations additionally differ in language selections. Millennials appear extra eager on Thai, with 19.6% of them eager to be fluent, whereas 9.1% of Gen Z respondents picked Thai as their dream language, doubtless as a result of Thailand is a well-liked vacation vacation spot for Hongkongers.
Hongkongers wrestle to grasp Indian and Japanese accents
Whereas Hongkongers have clear preferences for particular accents, there are some nationalities they wrestle to grasp once they communicate English. The survey exhibits that 40.6% of respondents discover the Indian accent the toughest to observe, adopted by Japanese (24.9%), Pakistani (19.9%), and Chinese language (14.5%).
On the opposite finish of the spectrum, Hongkongers have the least drawback understanding American (3.0%), British (4.8%), and Hong Kong (5.0%) accents, indicating that familiarity when it comes to media and on a regular basis publicity to sure accents performs an enormous function in accent comprehension.
Studying a brand new language is an incredible accomplishment, it doesn’t matter what folks take into consideration accents. So there’s no higher time to begin – whether or not you’re chasing that “sexiest” accent or just trying to talk higher. Preply provides you entry to 1-on-1 classes, courses and programs with native academics from around the globe — British, American, and even Japanese — who will help you study the language of your selection and even fine-tune your pronunciation or accent.
Methodology
Preply surveyed 1,000 Hong Kong residents aged 16-77 years outdated about their perceptions of Asian and Western accents. This research was finalized in November 2024. The information is predicated on self-reported solutions, which means respondents could have had biases.
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