Speech on
International Mother Language Day 2024
In collaboration with Cantonia Independence Party
2024.2.3. Dublin, Ireland
Full transcript:
大家好，我係Setsuna K。我嘅母語，喺廣州話；但係我本人唔係廣府人：我老豆係汕頭嘅，我阿媽係贛國嘅客家人。如果係喺一個正常嘅、自由嘅、支持多語言文化嘅國家，好似我咁嘅背景嘅人，照理嚟講客家話汕頭話點都識些少嘅；但係我而家唔單止唔識，甚至因為被迫長時間喺講普通話嘅環境生存，而家連廣州話都講得唔係好順。我哋呢一代人至少仲識講自己老豆老母識講嘅話；而家喺廣州土生土長嘅細蚊仔，已經開始連廣州話都唔識；就算你話贛南同潮汕地區喺呢方面保守過廣州，喺中國當局嘅推普政策嘅壓迫之下，佢哋喺後生仔之中畀官話完全取代，恐怕都淨係時間問題。
Daaih-gäa hóu, ngóh haih Setsuna K. Ngóh ge móuh-yúh, haih Gwóngzäu-wáa; daahn-haih ngóh bún-jàhn m̀h-haih Gwóngfú jàhn: ngóh lóuh-dauh haih Saantàuh ge, ngóh aa-mäa haih Gam-gwok ge haakgäa jàhn. Yùh-gwó haih hái jät-go zing-sòehng-ge, zih-jàuh-ge, zï-cìh dö-yúh-ìhn màhn-faa ge gwok-gäa, hóu-cíh ngóh gám ge bui-gíng ge jàhn, ziuh-léih lèih góng Haakgäa-wáa Saantàuh-wáa dím-döu sïk së-síu ge; daahn-haih ngóh ìh-gäa m̀h-däan-zí m̀h-sïk, sahm-zi jän-waih beih-bïk chòehng-sìh-gäan hái góng póu-tüng-wáa ge wàahn-gíng säng-chùn, ìh-gäa lìhn Gwóngzäu-wáa döu góng-däk m̀h-haih hóuh-seohn. Ngóh-deih nï jät-doih-jàhn zì-síu zuhng sïk-góng zìh-géi lóuh-dauh lóuh-móu sïk-góng ge wáa; ìh-gäa hái Gwóngzäu tóu-säang-tóu-zóeng ge sai-män-zái, íh-gïng höi-cí lìhn Gwóngzäu-wáa döu m̀h-sïk; zauh-syùn néih-waah Gam-nàahm tùhng Cìuhsaan deih-këoi hái nï-föng-mihn bóu-sáu-gwo Gwóngzäu, hái Zünggwok döng-guk ge tëoi-póu zing-caak ge aat-bïk zï-haah, kéoih-deih hái hauh-säang-zái zï-züng béi Günwáa yùhn-chùhn céoi-doih, húng-paa döu zihng-haih sìh-gàan mahn-tàih.
Hello everyone, I am Setsuna K. My native language is Cantonese. However, I am not of the Cantonese ethnic group: my father is from Swatow, and my mother is a Hakka from Komland. In a normal, free country that supports multilingualism, people with backgrounds like mine should at least know a little Hakka and Swatow languages; but now, not only do I not know them, but because I have been forced to survive in an environment where Mandarin is spoken for a long time, I couldn't speak Cantonese very fluently either. Our generation at least still knows the languages our parents speak, but the younger generation born and raised in Canton City is beginning to not even know Cantonese. Even in regions like southern Komland and Teoswa where people could be more conservative than Canton City in this aspect, under the pressure of the Chinese authorities' promotion of Mandarin, I'm afraid that it would only be a matter of time before they are completely replaced by Mandarin among the younger generation.
我哋必須要明白嘅係，我哋係無辦法喺一個統一嘅中國之下真正保存到自己嘅語言同埋文化嘅。只要中國一日仲存在，只要南粵本土一日仲喺中國統治之下，我哋所有為咗保存我哋自己嘅母語嘅努力都會畀佢哋認為係搞分離主義，我哋嘅語言根本唔會有免於壓迫嘅一日；可以真正保護到我哋嘅語言嘅唯一方法，就係獨立建國：愛爾蘭語同巴斯克語，喺愛爾蘭獨立同埋巴斯克地區自治之後，先至有機會真正復興；我哋南粵嘅各種語言其實都係一樣。
Ngóh-deih bït-sëoi ìu mìhng-baahk ge haih, ngóh-deih haih móu-baahn-faat hái jät-go túng-jät ge Zünggwok zï-haah zän-zing bóu-chùhn-dóu zih-géi ge Yúh-ìhn tùhng-màih màhn-faa ge. Zí-ìu Zünggwok jät-jaht zung chùhng-zoih, zí-ìu Nàahm Yuht bún-tóu jät-jaht zung hái Zünggwok túng-zih zï-haah, ngóh-deih só-jáuh waih-zó bóu-chùhn ngóh-deih zih-géi ge móuh-yúh ge nóuh-lihk döu-wuih béi kéoih-deih ihng-wàih haih gáau fän-lèih-jú-ìh, ngóh-deih ge yúh-ìhn gän-bún m̀h-wuih jáuh míhn-yü aat-bïk ge jät-jaht; hóìh zän-zing bóu-wuh dóu ngóh-deih ge yúh-ìhn ge wàih-jät föng-faat, zauh-haih duhk-lahp gin-gwok: oi-íh-làahn-yúh tùhng bäa-sï-häk-yúh, háih oi-ìh-làahn duhk-lahp tùhng bäa-sï-häk deih-këoi zih-zih zï-hauh, sïn-zì jáuh gëi-wuih zän-zing fuhk-hïng; ngóh-deih Nàahm Yuht ge gok-zúng yúh-ìhn kèih-saht döu-haih jät-joehng.
What we must understand is that we cannot truly preserve our language and culture under a unified China. As long as China exists, as long as Cantonia remains under Chinese rule, all our efforts to preserve our mother tongue will be considered separatism, and our languages will never be free from oppression. The only way to truly protect our languages is to establish independence, like the Irish language and Basque language: only after Ireland's independence and the autonomy of the Basque region is there a chance for their real revival. The same goes for all the languages of Cantonia.
今日係世界母語日，喺為咗世界各地嘅人嘅母語而設嘅節日；我喺呢度希望各位睇緊呢條片嘅南粵同胞，平時可以盡量同自己嘅屋企人同朋友多啲講自己嘅語言，為咗我哋母語嘅自由支持我哋追求獨立自主嘅事業。
Gäm-jaht haih Sai-gaai Móuh-yúh Jaht, haih waih-zó sai-gaai gok-deih ge jàhn ge móuh-yúh ìh ciht ge zit-jaht; ngóh hái nï-douh hëi-mohng gok-wái tái-gán nï-tìuh-pïn ge Nàahm Yuht tùhng-bäau, pìhng-sìh hóih zeohn-loehng tùhng zih-géi ge ük-kéi-jàhn dö-dï góng zih-géi ge yúh-ìhn, waih-zó ngóh-deih ge móuh-yúh ge zi-jàuh zï-cìh ngóh-deih zëoi-kàuh duhk-lahp zih-júh ge sih-jihp.
Today is International Mother Language Day, a holiday dedicated to the mother tongues of people around the world. Here, I hope that my Cantonian compatriots watching this video can speak more in their own language with their family and friends in daily lives and for the sake of the freedom of our mother tongues, support our pursuit of independence.
南粵獨立，唯一出路！
Nàahm Yuht duhk-lahp, wàih-jät cëot-louh!
Cantonia Independence is the only way out!