Newsletter No. 537

# 5 3 7 | 0 4 . 0 5 . 2 0 1 9 口 談 實 錄 / V iva V oce 你名字中的「氏」有甚麼意義嗎？ 「氏」字在八零年代或以前出生的越南 女子姓名裏才會出現。它除了表明是個 女兒，並沒任何寓意。之後愈來愈多人 覺得把它加在名字裏太落伍過時，才漸 漸摒棄。 據聞你當年是越南高考狀元？ 其實那年的高考狀元全國不下十幾個。 我們只考三科，每科最高十分，可想而知 很容易出現同分的情況。 來港前有哪些學習中文的經歷？ 我高中開始學中文，大學本科在越南國 家大學下屬外國語大學主修「對越漢 語教學」。大三時到台灣當了半年交換 生，回來之後大家開始說我的中文帶台 灣腔。碩士赴上海華東師範大學唸「漢 語國際教育」，畢業後回到越南母校工 作，邊教漢語邊為外國學生設計越南語 課程。 緣何到中大攻讀博士？ 中大中文系 鄧思 頴 教授到我工作的大學 演講時，得知我有出國深造的想法，便 鼓勵我申請「香港博士研究生獎學金計 劃」到中大唸博士。申請期間儘管鄧教 授身在美國，但一有空就和我討論研究 計劃的撰寫，給予我莫大支持。 請介紹一下你的研究範圍。 我主要研究普通話和廣東話與越南語的 比較。粵語跟越南語在語音、詞彙和語 法有許多驚人的一致。例如「大學」在兩 種語言的發音幾乎一樣。兩者的句尾語 氣助詞都多達三十幾個，而普通話不到 十個。我希望解開為何有這樣的相似。 到香港大半年了，遇過哪些文化衝擊嗎？ 最大的衝擊應該是每次到餐廳吃飯都 必須神速的點菜，容不得一分鐘的猶 豫，所以每次上餐館都讓我很緊張！ 在香港和在越南唸書最大的區別在哪 裏？ 越南學生一般較害羞，很少主動找老師 問問題，認為是上課聽不懂才需要問老 師。但在香港，我發現身邊的同學都很 聰明，同時也愛問問題，提問反而是智 力高的體現。我也慢慢調整了心態。 最想念越南的甚麼？ 最想念家鄉河內的河粉和米線，連做夢 都會聞到河粉湯的香味！越南街道兩旁 河粉店林立，騎着摩托車經過，一路上 香氣撲鼻。我在越南時並非特別愛吃河 粉，但每次出國，這種味道就會令我魂 牽夢縈。 關於越南，有哪些港人普遍的誤解你最 想澄清？ 我覺得沒甚麼特別大的誤解。如果非 要說的話，我想告訴大家，越南除了下 龍灣，北、中、南部還有許多好玩的地 方—北部的河內有建築風味獨特的三 十六古街，中部可以到順化參觀阮朝 古都，而南部的胡志明市則呈現越南年 輕、商業的一面。 阮氏 紅 貴 Nguyen Thi Hong Quy 中國語言及文學哲學博士生 PhD Student in Chinese Language and Literature 中大唯一來自越南 的研究生談越港兩 地求學體驗、越南 語與粵語的驚人相 似，以及念念不忘 的越南粉。 CUHK’s only postgraduate from Vietnam talked to the Newsletter about studying in her homeland and in Hong Kong, the uncanny similarities between Vietnamese and Cantonese and her yearning for a bowl of authentic Vietnamese pho . What does the ‘Thi’ in your name mean? ‘Thi’ exists only in the names of Vietnamese girls born in or before the 80’s. It indicates nothing but the female gender. More and more people are finding this word anachronistic and take it out when naming their children. I heard that you were a top scorer in the university entrance exam back in Vietnam? Just one of the dozen top scorers nationwide that year. There were only three subjects. Ten points for each. So it was very likely for people to get the same high scores. What kind of Chinese learning experiences did you have before you came to Hong Kong? I’ve been learning Chinese since high school. I got my first degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Vietnam. During my third year I went on an exchange programme in Taiwan. When I came back after six months, people started telling me that my Chinese had a Taiwanese accent. I went on to pursue a master’s degree in Shanghai and studied international Chinese education. After graduation I returned to my alma mater in Vietnam to teach Chinese and design the Vietnamese curriculum for international students. What made you come to Hong Kong for a doctorate? When Prof. Tang Sze-wing of CUHK’s Chinese Department came to deliver a lecture where I was working, he got to know that I intended to pursue overseas studies. He encouraged me to apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. Though Professor Tang was in the US during my application cycle, he always found time to discuss my research proposal with me. I am so grateful for his generosity and help. Please tell us about your research area. My research focuses on comparing Putonghua and Cantonese with Vietnamese. There are many striking similarities between Cantonese and Vietnamese in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Take ‘university’ for example. It almost sounds the same in the two languages. They both have as many as 30 end-of-sentence particles, while Putonghua has only about 10. I hope to find out why. You’ve been in Hong Kong for over half a year. Did you experience any culture shock? The biggest shock is when I need to order food in a restaurant. There is so much pressure to make it snappy and without hesitation. It makes me so nervous every time I go out to eat! What is the biggest difference between studying in Hong Kong and in Vietnam? Vietnamese students tend to be shy and reluctant to ask questions to their teachers because it suggests they are too dumb to understand what the teachers have said in class. In Hong Kong, I discovered that, even though my classmates are very smart, they also ask questions. I gradually changed my mind-set too. Which part of Vietnam do you miss most? I miss the noodles from my hometown Hanoi most. I dream a lot about the aroma of the pho broth. Streets in Vietnam are adorned by pho eateries. The savoury smell rushes to us when we ride past on motorcycles. When I was in Vietnam I did not particularly like having pho . But once I left home, remembering that smell makes me homesick. Is there any misunderstanding about Vietnam held by Hong Kong people that you want to clarify? Not much that I know of. But if I have to say something: I would tell Hong Kong people that besides Ha Long Bay, there are many other places of interest in Northern, Middle and Southern Vietnam. In the Northern city of Hanoi, one can tour the Old Quarter with 36 exotic streets. In Hue of Central Vietnam one can visit the ancient city of the Nguyen Dynasty. Ho Chi Minh City in the South shows the young, commercial side of Vietnam. Christine N. Photo by ISO Staff