learn Cantonese

My mum is from Hong Kong and I’d love to be able to be understood, even if its from a rehursed script. I have Pimslers’ Cds, and hope to have a speech by my wedding!

Well, today I was saying ‘Sunday’ in Canto to my parents, and when they corrected me, I realised how very OFF (!!) my accent is compared to theirs. Really, it’s shameful because I pride myself on having been in HK, yet also have the privelege of being fully immersed in Australian culture, having grown up here (hehe, I can even do the ocker accent).

First step, I think, is to speak more Canto at home, insteading of having my parents speak Canto, and me reply in English. Just as a side note, that actually does work quite well, funnily enough.

It’s odd. My vocabulary is equivalent to an infant’s. I guess something must have happened when I was small so I stopped learning.

Although I’ve been speaking English with my family all of my life, my linguistic disadvantage comes out whenever the extended family gets together. I’ve spent many times in Chinese restaurants and family dinners being extremely bored because I have absolutely no idea what people are talking about.

I have a few current motivating factors to learn my family’s native tongue. There is a possibility that my family and I will be traveling to China and Hong Kong again this year. I want to suprise everybody.

Also, my co-worker is taking up Icelandic. There is no reason for her to do this other than it being an odd language. She is not of an Icelandic background, nor is there a large Icelandic community where we live. And people from Iceland speak English to American tourists anyway. I don’t think she even knows what it sounds like or what other languages it is similar to. Still, her enthusiasm to learn another language is catching.

A few years ago, I bought a Teach Yourself Cantonese learning kit off the clearance rack. The price was “One Dol-LAH!” It comes with a workbook and cassettes. Although its aimed toward Americans making quick business trips to Hong Kong, it will do.

its hard but im definately better at it now. not fluent but id need to stay in hk and live there for longer to practise it.

My parents are from the Guangdong province of China where they speak Cantonese. Having been born and raised in the United States, I feel like learning the language is a necessary part of connecting with my heritage (it’s also the second language I’m closest to being fluent in). My mother, being the uber-practical sort, thinks I should skip straight to learning Mandarin, the official language of China. My reasons for learning it go beyond practicality, and once I do learn Cantonese, maybe I can finally explain to my mom, in Cantonese, why it is I had to learn it, and explain all the other choices I’ve made in my life this far. That cultural and linguistic gap between us is definitely something I’ve thought a lot about in the past few years, but I guess knowing that I am loved whether or not I am understood has let me take my time on that project.

Here’s to hoping I don’t dwaddle too long.

unless i book myself into a course, this ain’t ever going to happen. i think i’m better off aiming to go to china, and picking up bits and pieces there. i wish my dad was willing to help me embrace my culture. it’s so frustrating but i guess i can only try to imagine why he’s chosen to leave it behind (a coping mechanism adopted as a kid growing up in sydney in the 40s?), and accept it.

I have no time to do this right now, it’s going on the shelf until post Montreal

It contains short transcripts from real-life contents for Cantonese learners.

http://www.cantophilia.com/

“Teach Yourself Cantonese” It’s a little surprising and rather frustrating to see the majority of items aimed toward Mandarin Chinese. I realize it’s the standard, but quite often in Chinese restaurants and what not they still speak Cantonese. That perhaps will change, but I still prefer listening to Cantonese over Mandarin.

I’ve forgotten my Cantonese and its embarrassing when I can listen to what people like my grandma, aunties and uncles are saying but cannot reply at all, unless I make a useless attempt shameful so I want to try and learn this again.

I guess I feel embarrassed at myself speaking it because it doesn’t sound right. But I will try.