This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Learning Chinese

I have wanted to learn how to speak Cantonese for a long time now, and I was just wondering if anyone knows of any good books to get started with? Is anyone out there learning Cantonese?

Reply 1

Jump

18

flyinghorse

I have wanted to learn how to speak Cantonese for a long time now, and I was just wondering if anyone knows of any good books to get started with? Is anyone out there learning Cantonese?

One of my friends is learning Cantonese and has been going to Saturday school for the last 4 years, plus he speaks it at home...and he's still says he can't write it very well at all. From what I've heard it's one of the most challenging languages to learn to write, but isn't that much harder than most modern languages in terms of speaking alone.

Reply 2

jediknight007

10

I speak Cantonese at home. Went to Sunday Chinese school for almost 8 years but gave up because I didn't really learn much towards the end and was therefore, a waste of money. I can speak and listen to it fluently but I don't really know how to write or read Chinese. It's not as easy as European languages to learn because the grammar isn't as easy to learn. While with European languages you simply learn the grammar and then build up your vocabulary, with Cantonese/Mandarin, you have to learn hundreds and then thousands of words and totally immerse yourself in it. Living in Hong Kong would probably be the best course of action for you if you wanna learn Cantonese. :tongue:

I hope to learn Japanese at uni this year and although I'm really enthusiastic and determined to learn it, it's probably going to take me 5 years to learn the language and then another 3 or more years living in Japan before I'm fluent in it.

Reply 3

will_cambs

Mandarin is more beneficial.Depending on how much you want to speak and understand and write, its your preference, if fluent, ask your self if your ready to commit many many years of study.! good luck

Mandarin

why do you learn cantonese?

Reply 6

ruthiepoothie

11

flyinghorse

I have wanted to learn how to speak Cantonese for a long time now, and I was just wondering if anyone knows of any good books to get started with? Is anyone out there learning Cantonese?

you need to have lessons- it would be really difficult to learn it on your own, and mandarin would probably be better. I learnt mandarin for 3 years and could speak it and understand it in basic terms but only just read it. Now i have forgotten it all though :rolleyes:

but i would reccomend going to lessons....

Reply 7

gzftan

12

ruthiepoothie

you need to have lessons- it would be really difficult to learn it on your own, and mandarin would probably be better. I learnt mandarin for 3 years and could speak it and understand it in basic terms but only just read it. Now i have forgotten it all though :rolleyes:

but i would reccomend going to lessons....

Yep that's true....i went to chinese school for god knows how many years...but i still only understnad the basics. You'd have to be speaking it regularly to become proficient at it, and since my parents are reasonably fluent in English...i never really mastered the language.

G

Reply 8

Joe Public

you dont need to learn chinese. they put numbers next to the things on the menu.

Reply 9

sneezyme

2

I would love to learn Mandarin too, it would be amazing to learn such a beautiful language.

Reply 10

chellie

You might want to try the Pimsleur Approach. He has been working on improving language learning for years.

http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/index.asp?

Reply 11

jediknight007

10

Joe Public

you dont need to learn chinese. they put numbers next to the things on the menu.

Yea, but you might end up getting a Chicken Tandoori! :biggrin:

Nah, the best way really is to totally be 'in it' and frequently be around people who speak it. Watch plenty of PCNE and CCTV9 on Sky Digital if you have it and be prepared to read the same text over and over again. I was pretty damn pissed off in Chinese school where we didn't learn stuff like grammar. Each week, we would read a passage over and over again, and learn whichever words we had never come across before. Then the following week, we would have a test on a particular section of the passage.

My dad attempted to teach me Mandarin and although it was easy at first, when we couldn't be bothered anymore, I forgot all of it. Therefore, you are less likely to learn it if you don't regularly have the opportunity to communicate with it.

Reply 12

Knight-Errant

flyinghorse

I have wanted to learn how to speak Cantonese for a long time now, and I was just wondering if anyone knows of any good books to get started with? Is anyone out there learning Cantonese?

I would like to learn this. All I know so far is that it's a tonal language, so how you say things shapes the meaning of the word. I've not actually pursued this though...in Japanese, Genki Des Ka means how are you doing.

Reply 13

Camford

12

I feel lucky.

The Sunday Chinese School from what I heard only open to Chinese kids, or rather kids whose parents, at least one, are Chinese. But, I'm sure if you insist on paying to learn, they won't refuse. If you know any Chinese students in your college, they might know something about it. But, in Leicester, the age group is 8 to 13. So, if that's what it looks like in your area...

Reply 14

teaspoon

Yep i used to go to Chinese school on Sunday as well. Did you do a GCSE chinese?

Reply 15

jediknight007

10

Knight-Errant

I would like to learn this. All I know so far is that it's a tonal language, so how you say things shapes the meaning of the word.

Yea, for example, 'ma' can mean two things: mother and horse. So make sure you don't get the two mixed up!

Reply 16

flyinghorse

OP

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far (even those making reference to menu numbers - it lightens things up).

I should have made it clear before that although I am aware that Mandarin is supposed to be easier and is the national language, I really need Cantonese, since this is what my family in Hong Kong speaks, so in my case Mandarin would be mostly useless. And I'm also told that Cantonese is more widely spoken than Mandarin in Honkers. Trust my family to pick the difficult dialect...

Reply 17

lotus_lee

flyinghorse

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far (even those making reference to menu numbers - it lightens things up).

I should have made it clear before that although I am aware that Mandarin is supposed to be easier and is the national language, I really need Cantonese, since this is what my family in Hong Kong speaks, so in my case Mandarin would be mostly useless. And I'm also told that Cantonese is more widely spoken than Mandarin in Honkers. Trust my family to pick the difficult dialect...

Don't you speak Cantonese with your family often then?

Reply 18

flyinghorse

OP

lotus_lee

Don't you speak Cantonese with your family often then?

Nope, as all of my family here in the UK speak English, and although my parents did teach me some Cantonese when I was younger, I don't know enough to have a proper conversation. Unfortunately my parents aren't exactly good teachers, so I can't just learn from them. Also, any attempt by me to converse with my family in Cantonese results in my confusion. That's the problem with phrase-books - they tell you how to ask a question, but not what the possible answers could be! Any attempts by my parents to translate Cantonese to English result in their confusion. Which I have always found strange, seeing as they can speak both!

I went to a Chinese school on Sundays a long time ago, but it was of very little help, as they concentrated on reading and writing rather than speaking (kinda stupid when you about it - you learn to speak before you learn to read and write don't you?).

Living in Hong Kong would doubtless be a good idea, but I'm going to uni in September/October (hopefully October) so that's out of the question for three or four years.

Reply 19

teaspoon

I suggest watching a lot of Chinese films, programmes, soaps :biggrin:

Learning Chinese

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you