Selection Of Vocabulary In Chinese Language Education In Hong Kong Schools

This paper is based on "List of Putonghua vocabulary mistaken for Cantonese" from the "Database of categorization and contrast between Cantonese and Putonghua vocabulary" conducted by Hong Kong Institute of Education. Through the validation of its legitimacy from "The Chinese Contemporary Dictionary", as well as an action research surveying Chinese people who are receiving or have received tertiary education and familiarize with either Pekingese, Wu or Cantonese dialect, the writer aims to find out the legitimacy of these targeted Putonghua words and phrases and their "commonest". The result indicates that despite the respondents of the Cantonese dialect, it is skeptical concerning their "commonest" according to the respondents who are familiar with the other two dialects.