客家话在毛里求新华人中间已经使用了多少年?笔者说不出一个确切的敷字。虽然最早的资料载明1830年的时候岛上有69名中国人。但这些中国人是不是客家人不得而知。因此,不能推论客家话在毛里求斯已经使用了160余年。不过,客家话在毛里求斯恐怕至少有100年的历史。这样说大概不会说多了而只会说少了。因为笔者的祖父是在清朝(1644—1911)的时候乘帆船去毛里求斯的。他是嘉应州(今梅县)人,大约生于19世纪40年代后期或50年代初期。一般人漂洋过海都在青年时代,最迟不会超过中年,所以我祖父去毛里求斯的时间不应该晚于1890年。我没有听父亲及其他长辈讲过我祖父是第一批去毛里求斯的客家人,因此在他之前必定还有其他客家人已经去到该岛。 How many years has the Hakka dialect been used among Mauritian Chinese? I can not say an exact word. Although the earliest information shows that in 1830 there were 69 Chinese on the island. But these Chinese people are not Hakka unknown. Therefore, it can not be concluded that Hakka dialect has been used in Mauritius for more than 160 years. However, Hakka dialect in Mauritius is probably at least 100 years old. Say that probably will not say more but will say less. Because the author’s grandfather went to Mauritius by sailing boat during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He is Jiaying (now Meixian) people, was born about the late 1840s or early 1950s. Most people travel across the sea in the youth, not later than middle age, so my grandfather to Mauritius should not be later than 1890. I did not listen to my father and other elders who told me that my grandfather was the first Hakka to go to Mauritius, and so there must have been other Hakka people who have visited the island before him.