Lecture by Prof. Dr. Ralf Vollmann in the thirtieth talk of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series”
The 30th session of the "Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series," organized by the Institute of International Education, New Era University College (IIE, NEUC) and the Tan Lark Sye Institute, was held on 26 June. The guest speakers for this event was Prof. Dr. Ralf Vollmann from the Department of Linguistics at the University of Vienna, Austria. It was attended by more than 100 people.
Prof. Dr. Ralf Vollmann, graduated from the University of Vienna, specializing in linguistics, Tibetan studies, and anthropology. He previously worked at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Department of Linguistics and Phonetics) and is now a professor of linguistics at the University of Graz. His research areas include sociophonetics, child language development, Tibetan linguistics, language typology, and Hakka studies. Currently, his focus is on multilingualism and related research, especially in Asian and European overseas Hakka communities.
In this lecture, Prof. Dr. Ralf Vollmann shared his research on the Hakka community, revealing that Hakka migration from China to Europe has led to linguistic diversity in local communities. For example, the Hakka in the Netherlands are first-generation immigrants from Hong Kong, Suriname, and Indonesia, who introduced new languages to Dutch society. However, subsequent generations have stopped using Hakka and integrated into Dutch culture. In Vienna, Indian Hakka migrants stay connected with their overseas relatives, with the older generation working in the food industry and continuing to use Hakka. However, the younger generation, who pursue diverse careers, have gradually weakened their Hakka identity, reducing the importance of the Hakka language. Younger people tend to use mainstream languages like Dutch and German. Although local associations strive to protect and preserve Hakka identity, this effort is largely symbolic. This lecture provided insightful discussions on the development and current situation of the Hakka in Europe. The event was moderated by Mr Ng Khai Boon from NEUC. It received enthusiastic feedback, with the audience actively participating in the Q&A session and eagerly engaging in discussions.
