Recently on the anonymous discussion forum Dcard of Hong Kong appeared a topic that attracted many people’s attention. “In the company, we all call each other by English names, but my boss’s English name is Baby and she’s in her 40s,” one netizen said. This person said she feels annoyed every time she writes an email to her boss, starting with “Dear Baby” or “Hi Baby”.
Since English is considered a second language in Hong Kong, names in the form of English names and surnames are very common
The issue seemed simple, but when it was posted, the topic became the focus of Hong Kong social media. One joked: “Imagine what would happen if you and your boss went to a meeting with another company?”. Many other accounts said that the poster should resign immediately: “This is horrible! I can’t imagine it.” Besides, there are also many opinions that calling superiors by their last name, for example Ms. Chan, would not be too rude.
It is known that proper names in Hong Kong often differ from names in China due to Hong Kong’s use of the Cantonese language, ethnic diversity and the presence of English as a second language. However, the guy’s case in the article really causes many difficulties in daily communication in the office environment.
