English learning
Date Published
Acquiring English was essential and achieved in a variety of ways.
Arriving in an English-speaking society such as colonial Australia meant that Chinese migrants had to acquire at least some command of English, and many did so with notable success. Interpreters were always in demand, yet a significant number were themselves Chinese who had learned English locally through daily interaction and trade. To assist others, members of the diaspora produced a range of phrasebooks and dictionaries designed for practical use. These often contained vocabulary for market gardening, price negotiation, and everyday transactions. Many such publications also rendered English terms into Cantonese or other Pearl River Delta dialects, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the community.
Church-based classes played an especially important role in English instruction, frequently offered by missionaries who combined language teaching with religious outreach. Intermarriage, too, contributed to linguistic adaptation, as Chinese men who married local or British-born women often acquired English through domestic life. Over time, this process gave rise to a growing generation of Australian-born Chinese (ABCs), fluent in English but often less confident in Chinese. Some parents sought to correct this imbalance by taking their children back to the ancestral villages to strengthen their language and cultural ties.
Those who remained in Australia, however, found their bilingualism could open unexpected paths. During the colonial period, many Australian-born Chinese, equipped with strong English skills and a working knowledge of Chinese, found opportunities in cosmopolitan centres such as Hong Kong and Shanghai, where English-language proficiency was highly valued. Some rose to positions as newspaper editors. This pattern largely faded after 1949, when political change in China prompted many to return to Australia.
Learning English: “Each Celestial has a European teacher, mostly young females, who sits beside him all through the service, and helps him to spell and to sing. This mode of teaching is efficient, and Hugely to John's Liking."
