Cantonese Journey

Dim Sum — 點心

2011-04-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to St. Louis with my fiancée and had some delicious 點心 (dim2 sam1)! The restaurant was called Lu Lu Seafood Restaurant (金滿樓) and their dim sum, according to my fiancée, was pretty authentic. So I thought I would share the different kinds of dim sum we had, as well as talk about how much I love dim sum.

Since enjoying dim sum is such a common activity in Hong Kong, there is a special word which means exactly that, to go out and have some dim sum. It's called 飲茶 (jam2 caa4). Below are some pictures of the dim sum we had on our trip to 飲茶.

Each dish in the pictures is numbered and correlates to a number below:

1.) 豬排骨 – zyu1 paai4 gwat1: Pork spare ribs

2.) 牛肉丸– ngau4 juk6: Beef meatballs

3.) 魚香茄子 – jyu4*2 hoeng1 ke4*2 zi2: Eggplant with fishs.

4.) 炸豆腐 – zaa3 dau6 fu6: Fried dou fu

5.) 煎蘿蔔糕 or 蘿蔔糕 – zin1 lo4 baak6 gou1 or lo4 baak6 gou1: Fried Chinese radish cakes, or simply radish cakes.

6.) 叉燒包 – caa1 siu1 baau1: Roast pork buns炸豆腐 – zaa3 dau6 fu6: Fried dou fu

Not shown in the pictures, we also had:

牛栢葉 – ngau4 paak3 jip3: Cow tripe

海蜇 – hoi2 zit3: Jelly fish

芒果布甸 – mong1 gwo2 bou3 din1: Mango pudding

蛋撻 – daan6 taat3*1: Egg custard tart

叉燒腸 – caa1 siu1 coeng4*2: Rice roll with barbecued pork filling

I think out of everything, the 海蜇 or the 牛白葉 were my favorite. Now I'm just waiting for this summer when I go to Hong Kong so I can try every kind of 點心!

Hong Kong Slang

2011-03-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of some slang I have been learning recently. A lot of it is probably already familiar to most people, but I still want to share some of my favorites.

八卦 — baat3 gwaa3: to gossip; to pry; nosy, gossipy

Example - 最好就咩嘢都唔講俾佢知，你都知佢幾八卦。

(It’s best not to tell her anything, you know how she gossips.)

九唔搭八 — gau2 m4 daap3 baat3: to give an irrelevant answer; completely nonsensical.

Example - 佢根本唔知我問啲乜嘢，簡直九唔搭八，答非所問。

(She simply didn’t understand me and answered beyond my question. That’s irrelevant.)

寸— cyun3: to act arrogantly

Example – 我唔知佢點會識咗成班寸爆嘅有錢仔有錢女。

(I don’t know how gets to know that bunch of snotty rich kids.)

升呢 — sing1 ne1: level up, on the way up

Example – 用我哋最新嘅apps將你部iPhone升呢喇。

(Upgrade your iPhone with our latest apps.)

出位 — ceot1 wai2: out of bounds; to exceed what is proper

Example – 佢有啲言論勁出位。

(He made some totally bizarre comments.)

死雞撐飯蓋 — sei2 gai1 caang3 faan6 goi3: to not admit one is wrong but continue arguing

Example – 有時佢知自己錯，都死雞撐飯蓋。

(Sometimes he knows he’s wrong, but still will not admit it.)

求其 — kau4 kei4: careless; casual

Example – 做得太求其喇，重做！

(This is careless work. Do it again!)

吹水 — ceoi1 seoi2: to tell lies; to talk bullshit

Example – 佢成日吹水，話自己喺電影圈識好多人。

(She always lies and says she knows so many people in the film world.)

放飛機 — fong3 fei1 gei1: to fail to keep an appointment; to miss an appointment

Example – 我等咗佢足足有三個鐘，估唔到佢居然放我飛機！

(I’ve been waiting for him for three whole hours. I can’t believe he stood me up!)

潑冷水— put3 laang5 seoi2: to dampen someone’s enthusiasm

Example – 唔好意思潑你冷水，啊John，但你全部計錯晒。

(Sorry to rain on your parade John, but your calculations are all wrong.)

Success in Foreign Language Learning

2011-01-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

First, I would like to share my thoughts concerning a video lecture by Dr. Arguelles. Following that, I will share some techniques I utilize in the area of foreign language study.

In Dr. Arguelles' lecture, he outlines various factors that influence success. Furthermore, he presents a brief contrast between Language Acquisition and Language Learning.

Language Acquisition

Is a natural process. ("just pick up" a language from the surrounding environment.)
Happens during early childhood development. (native language, mother tongue, or school language)
Success is the rule. (i.e. children easily acquire their native language)
Essentially at this stage learning to talk is like learning to walk.

Language Learning

Is a conscience process.
Involves study.
Mainly an adult phenomenon (although can happen during late childhood or early adolescence)
Predicated upon prior language acquisition. (native language(s) serves as a filter through which you see and perceive and learn other foreign languages)
Success is not the rule. (i.e. often difficult to succeed)
Learning a foreign language is like to learning to play a musical instrument.

Now that I have a basic understanding of Language Acquisition and Language Learning, I realize I have been misusing the two terms. Previously, I had the misconception that any adult is capable of acquiring a foreign language. I understand now that this is simply not the case. Adults do not acquire a language, they learn a language. Furthermore, if we state that we simply acquired a foreign language as opposed to learned a foreign language, then we belittle our accomplishment. Learning a foreign language is an arduous task, and those who satisfactorily learn one should be commended.

Now that my rant is finished, I will share my learning routine of late.

As some may know, I have been putting much effort into learning Mandarin. I am currently working through a Teach yourself Mandarin book. My prevailing approach as of late is concerned more with reading and writing. However, I will still briefly explain my listening and speaking approach.

Reading and Writing

First - Learn how to write each new character/vocab word for that particular chapter or dialog.

Step 1: Start at the top of the list and write out five new words speaking them out load as you write (for me since I'm learning Mandarin, I write out the whole word even if it contains more than two characters). Then after the fifth word, try to rewrite all five from memory. Sometimes you'll remember, other times you will have to look. Either way, rewrite all five words.
Step 2: Repeat pattern from step one with the next five words.
Step 3: After writing out ten words, try to rewrite all ten from memory starting with the first word you learned. You should continue these three steps until you can successfully write all ten words from memory. *note: When I do this I look at the English translation then write the corresponding Mandarin word. This is so I won't have to memorize the order of the vocab words. I only memorize the vocab words NOT the list and order of them.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 with a new set of ten words.

Second - Read the grammar explanations and memorize an example sentence from each explanation.

There is no special trick to this step. Make sure you have a working knowledge of each construction. Don't focus too much on the explanations themself as sometimes they are quite complicated. You only need to be familiar with one or two example sentences in which the rule is applied. I repeat, focus on the example sentences in which the rule is applied, not the rule itself.

Finally - Work through each end of chapter review section.

My Teach yourself book has approximately 4-6 exercises at the end of each chapter. Usually something like this, Exercise 1 - Make a sentence from the following group of words, Exercise 2 - Fill in the blanks, Exercise 3 - Correct the word order, Exercise 4 - Translate the passage into English, Exercise 5 - Translate the sentences into Chinese.

In my opinion if you honestly want to learn, then you should take the exercises seriously.

For each exercise form, correct, fill-in or translate as instructed. Then write out the corrected and translated sentences using the characters. After completing the whole exercise, you should check your answers and correct as needed.

Listening and Speaking

Not too much new information here. For listening and speaking I use the Shadowing Method. I have a full description of the Shadowing Method in an earlies post. I advise you to have a look and watch the accompanying video. I don't always strictly follow the method. Sometimes, like riding the bus or strolling around campus, I only listen to the recordings without repeating or reading along. Other times I listen and repeat without reading along.

Thats all the wisdom I have to share for now. If you somehow read this whole post and managed to stay awake, then I commend you! In addition, for those of you who are wondering why I am discussing learning Mandarin when this blog is titled Cantonese Journey. I want to assure you I have not lost my love for Cantonese! I am at the stage with my Cantonese where I do a lot of speaking and listening. The words stick and are implanted into my memory much easier now. As a result, it does not require as much focused study. So please do not worry. I still love Cantonese, and will continue to write about my progress in the future.

Learning Log Dec. 21

2010-12-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm a little capricious. Here's another learning log.

Mandarin
桔子汁 -- júzizhī n Orange Juice
结婚 -- jiéhūn v.o. To get married; Married
对象 -- duìxiàng n Steady boy-girlfriend
随便 -- suíbiàn s.v./v.o. As you please
一定 -- yīdìng Certainly; Surely
饿 -- è v Hungry
极了 -- jíle Extremely; Very
筷子 -- kuàizi n Chopsticks
没关系 -- méi guānxi v.o. It doesn't matter; Have no relevance
原谅 -- yuánliàng v Excuse; Pardon, Forgive
技术 -- jìshù n Technology, skill; Technique
要不然 -- yàobùrán conj. Otherwise; or else
凉 -- liáng Cool, cold

Cantonese
獨食 -- duk6 sik6 to eat alone
預埋我 -- jyu6 maai4 ngo5 count me in
唔好預我 -- m4 hou2 jyu6 ngo5 don't count me in
口立濕 -- hau2 laap6 sap1 a snack/junk food
擒青 -- kam4 ceng1 in a hurry
因住 -- jan1 zyu6 beware of
哽親 -- gang2 can1 choke
酸微微 -- syun1 mei4*1 mei4*1 sour
過癮 -- gwo3 jan5 to have an urge satisfied; kick ass
頂住個肚 -- ding2 zyu6 go3 tou5 to diminish one's hunger; grab a quick snack
揀飲擇食 -- gaan2 jam2 zaak6 sik6 picky eater
為食貓 -- wai4 sik6 maau1 greedy; gluttonous
飲大咗兩杯 -- jam2 daai6 zo2 loeng5 bui1 drink too much, be drunk
親自下厨 -- can1 zi6 haa6 cyu4 cook by oneself
手勢 -- sau2 sai3 the ability to cook
打底 -- daa2 dai2 eat something before having wine or a late meal
食七咁食 -- sik6 cat1 gam3 sik6 gobble (food)
豉油撈飯 -- si6 jau4 lou1 faan6 a poor meal
魚翅撈飯 -- jyu4 ci3 lou1 faan6 a great meal
企到我腳都軟 -- kei5 dou3 ngo5 goek3 dou1 jyun5 to wait until one's legs are wobbly
攪邊科呀 -- gaau2 bin1 fo1 aa3 what the hell

Slacking

2010-12-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

Over the last week or so I've been slacking with both my Cantonese and Mandarin learning. Not that I need to make excuses or anything, but last week was finals week which required all my focus and energy. Now that finals are over, I have the whole winter break to pursue my language studies. This winter break is going to be a language studying paradise! Basically, I'm going to study like a maniac over this winter break.

I am reconsidering the learning logs. They may be helpful to keep me on track, but I find myself spending more time making them then actually studying. I think it best if I simply create a video every once in a while to track my progress. In other news, I recently acquired some new learning material. Well one was a gift and the other two haven't yet arrived, but nonetheless I have new resources. One book is called Teach Yourself Mandarin and is from the Teach Yourself series. The other two are Cantonese resources from Greenwood Press, Current Cantonese Colloquialisms, and About Hong Kong. I'm very excited to dive into these books which is why I'm writing this post. When I write out my goals, I get motivated to achieve them. After all, thats part of the reason I created this blog.

In conclusion, I'm done slacking.

Learning Log: Nov. 28 - Dec 4

2010-12-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

So I actually got around to posting this week's learning log. I'm very impressed with myself. OK, here is the list of vocab:

寒假 -- hānjià;  n winter vacation
飞机 -- fēijī;  n airplane
(飞)机场 -- (fēi)jīchǎng;  n air port
票 -- piào;  n ticket
公共汽车 -- gōnggòng qìchē; n bus
公共 -- gōnggòng;  adj public
汽车 -- qìchē;  n automobile
车 -- chē; n car
或者 -- huòzhě; conj   or
地铁 -- dìtiě;  n subway (eat fresh)
走 -- zǒu;  v to go by way of; to walk
先 -- xiān; adv first
站 -- zhàn; m measure word for stops of bus, train etc.
下车 -- xiàchē; vo to get off (buss, car etc.)
然后 -- ránhòu; adv then
绿 -- lǜ; adj green
线 -- xiàn; n line
最后 -- zuìhòu; final; last
蓝 -- lán; adj blue
麻烦 -- máfan; adj troublesome (a.k.a. my Fiancée)
打车 -- dǎchē; vo to take a taxi
出租汽车 -- chūzū qìchē; n taxi
出租 -- chūzū; v to rent out; to let
租 -- zū; v to rent
开车 -- kāichē; vo to drive a car
送 -- sòng; v to see off or out; to take(someone somewhere)
电子邮件 -- diànzǐ yóujiàn; n email
电子 -- diànzǐ; n electricity
让 -- ràng; v to cause or allow
花 -- huā; v to spend
不好意思 -- bùhǒuyìsi; to feel embarrassed
每 -- měi; pr every; each
城市 -- chéngshì; n city
特别 -- tèbié; adv especially
高速公路 -- gāosù gōnglù; n highway
高速 -- gāosù; abj high speed
公路 -- gōnglù; n highway; public road
路 -- lù; n road
紧张 -- jǐnzhāng; abj nervous; anxious
自己 -- zìjǐ; pr oneself
手机 -- shǒujī; n  cell phone
发短信 -- fā duǎnxìn; vo to send a text message
新年 -- xīnnián; n new year
快乐 -- kuàilè; adj happy

I have decided that I really need to pick up the pace if I want to succeed. Also, I decided not to post the Cantonese vocab that I learned this week. ~~I'm just too lazy~~ There are simply too many vocab and complex sentence patterns..... so yeah. Maybe next week.

College Course vs Self Study - The Ultimate Test

2010-11-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

So I've kinda been slacking on updating my blog, although its not like people actually read this or anything. As this semester draws to a close, I thought about what I had learned in my Mandarin course. I thought about all the things I had learned and how I had learned them. I came to the realization that almost all learning took place outside of class. Everything I learned came from hours of listening, reading and speaking outside of class. In all honesty, I thought class was a waste of time. I didn't really take in any new information while in class. The only good thing about that class was giving me extra motivation to study on my own. I had to memorize hundreds of characters in order to get good grades on the tests. Also if something didn't make sense while I was self studying, I would ask my professor to clarify. However in my opinion, those are the only two pros. In light of that fact, why should you pay someone to teach you something when you can teach yourself?

My hypothesis is that you cannot simply teach someone a language, but must teach them how to teach themselves. For example, if I merely sat through class and did the assignments and didn't spend the extra hours outside of class, I would not be at the level I am now. A student needs to understand that it is not their professors job to teach them the language. A student should be given good self study material and then during class they should be taught effective methods of how to use the material and teach them self. I am convinced now that in order to learn a language all you need is time, motivation, good learning resources, and some learning techniques. So I have decided to take my own advice and put my hypothesis to the test.

Here is the test. I have just completed first semester Chinese and instead of registering for second semester Chinese I'm going to spend the next month studying. Then at the beginning of January I'm going to take an exam in order to test out of second semester Chinese. If I pass, then I can receive full credit for the course and I don't have to waste 6 credit hours worth or time and money. However if I fail, chances are I won't be able to register for second level Chinese which will cause me to graduate a semester or two late. I feel this is really going to put my hypothesis to the test. The stakes are high, but that gives me all the motivation in the world. From now on I'm going to try to update my blog with weekly learning logs to track my progress. It's kind of "do or die".

Since the name of this blog is Cantonese Journey, I can't just update my blog with my Mandarin learning progress. So of course I'll post my Cantonese weekly learning as well.

Shadowing and Second Language Acquisition

2010-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Until recently, my language learning style followed the teachings and theories of Dr. Stephen Krashen, namely his theory of Second Language Acquisition. The main points of this theory are:

We acquire languages in only one way, when we understand messages i.e. comprehensible input
We acquire languages when we understand what is said, not how it's said.

This means that focusing on grammar and speaking too early can actually hinder progress. To learn a language you need to acquire it as naturally as possible which means -- don't force production or speak too soon before you are comfortable with listening, but wait until you have input enough of the language to speak comfortably.

I have been using this method to learn Cantonese, and I feel that it is a great method. I spend most of my study time simply listening to comprehensible input, especially new content. Only after I have listened to a dialog fifty or a hundred do I try speaking and using those new words or sentence patterns. Using this method, I feel that I have gained a decent level of success and comprehension. However recently I have been using a new method which, in my opinion, is even better than Krashen's method.

The new method I have been using is called Shadowing. It is a technique developed by Professor Alexander Arguelles. Here is a video of the Professor himself explaining step by step.

I highly recommend watching the whole video, however if you don't have time, let me give you a brief summary of the main points.

Start speaking from the beginning.
Read along while you are speaking and listening.
Maintain good posture and take a brisk walk outside while you are learning.
Speak along with the audio, try and match your voice with the voice on the recording.

These are a few points that set Shadowing apart from other learning methods. Again I recommend you watch the video all the way through to gain a full understanding of the method and how to accurately perform each step.

Since I started shadowing, I can already see an improvement in my Cantonese. It was difficult at first to speak along with the audio content, however it quickly became natural and quite enjoyable. I find that I pick up vocabulary quicker now and my pronunciation is already improving. I highly recommend this method for anyone learning any language at any stage.

I am not trying to promote one method above the other, but simply sharing my experience with you.
You are free to experiment with any one of these methods, or use both, or maybe a combination. My goal is to introduce to you a new learning method that I have found extremely useful. Its up to you to decide whether this method suits you or not.

Monologue - My First Language Learning Experiences

2010-10-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

由我好細個嘅時候開始，我就已經想學習外語，但係我一直以嚟都覺得學習外語就要有好高嘅智商啦，或者要好細個嗰陣時學，又或者要上好多課程先學得成。但係其實係兩三年前，我先發現，呢啲都係錯誤嘅理解，而且呢啲理解仲會阻礙學習添。

jau4 ngo5 hou3 sai3 go3 ge3 si4 hau6 hoi1 ci2, ngo5 zau6 ji5 ging1 soeng2 hok6 zaap6 ngoi6 jyu5 ，daan6 hai6 ngo5 jat1 zik6 ji5 lei4 dou1 gok3 dak1 hok6 zaap6 ngoi6 jyu5 zau6 jiu3 jau5 hou2 gou1 ge3 zi3 soeng1laa3，waak6 ze2 jiu3 hou2 sai3 go3 go2 zan6 si4/4*2 hok6 ，jau6 waak6 ze2 jiu3 soeng5 hou2 do1 fo3 cing4 sin1 hok6 dak1seng4 。daan6 hai6 kei4 sat6 hai6 loeng5 saam1 nin4 cin4 ，ngo5 sin1 faat3 jin6 ，ni1 di1 dou1 hai6 co3 ng6 ge3 ge2 lei5 gaai2 ，ji4 ce2 ni1 di1 lei5 gaai2 zung6 wui5 zo2 ngoi6 hok6 zaap6 tim1 。

Ever since I was young I always wanted to learn a foreign language. Growing up I always assumed that in order to learn a foreign language one had to have an extremely high IQ, or learn the language from a very young age, or at least take years and years of college coursework. Only a few years ago did I learn that all those things are merely misconceptions which actually hinder learning.

我第一次學外語經驗係嚟自學習西班牙文。喺我細個屋企附近嘅圖書館有一個老師提供免費嘅西班牙文班，因為咁所以我父母就幫我報名但係其實我可以話我第一次學外語嘅經驗都直係好差。因為，第一，我嗰時根本都冇心機去學西班牙文。第二，我嗰時都仲覺得要學得成外語就只有天才先學到。因為咁樣，我乜都冇學過，仲反而再一次肯定咗我之前嘅誤解添。

ngo5 dai6 jat1 ci3 hok6 ngoi6 jyu5 ging1 jim6 hai6 lei4 zi6 hok6 zaap6 sai1 baan1 ngaa4 man4*2 。hai2 ngo5 sai3 go3 uk1 kei5*2 fu6 gan6 ge3 tou4 syu1 gun2 jau5 jat1 go3 lou5 si1 tai4 gung1 min5 fai3 ge3 sai1 baan1 ngaa4 man4*2 baan1 ，jan1 wai6 gam3 so2 ji5 ngo5 fu6 mou5 zau6 bong1 ngo5 bou3 meng2 daan6 hai6 kei4 sat6 ngo5 ho2 ji5 waa6 ngo5 dai6 jat1 ci3 hok6 ngoi6 jyu5 ge3 ging1 jim6 dou1 zik6 hai6 hou2 caa1 。jan1 wai6 ，dai6 jat1 ，ngo5 go2 si4 gan1 bun2 dou1 mou5 sam1 gei1 heoi3 hok6 sai1 baan1 ngaa4 man4*2 。dai6 ji6 ，ngo5 go2 si4 dou1 zung6 gok3 dak1 jiu3 hok6 dak1 seng4 ngoi6 jyu5 zau6 zi2 jau5 tin1 coi4 sin1 hok6 dou3*2 。jan1 wai6 gam3 joeng6*2 ，ngo5 mat1 dou1 mou5 hok6 gwo3 ，zung6 faan2 ji4 zoi3 jat1 ci3 hang2 ding6 zo2 ngo5 zi1 cin4 ge3 ng6 gaai2 tim1 。

My first language learning encounter came in the form of Spanish. There was a teacher who offered a free Spanish course at a nearby library, so naturally my parents decided it would be beneficial for me to attend. I must say my first language learning encounter was rather grim. First off, I had no motivation to learn Spanish, and secondly I was still under the misconception that I had to be some kind of genius to learn a second language. Due to these inhibitors, I learned nothing. Furthermore that experience only reassured me that it was almost impossible to learn a foreign language.

我第二次學外語嘅經驗就好好多啦。嗰陣時我已經讀緊大學，而每一日返學嘅路程都好遠。因為我覺得喺咁耐嘅車程乜嘢都唔做會好浪費時間，所以我決定買一啲錄音帶嘅書嚟娛樂自己。其中一本錄音帶嘅書係講一個人突然間要搬去意大利嚟逃避一個壞嘅情況。當個主角喺意大利嘅時候，佢被逼要學意大利文。因為我成日都聽呢個故事，我就培養咗想學外語嘅興趣。仲買咗啲學意大利文嘅光碟添嚟喺揸車返學嘅時候聽。我今次仲學到好多嘢因為我今次有俾心機。雖然我嘅意大利文都唔係好流利，但係我好享受嗰次學外語嘅過程。

ngo5 dai6 ji6 ci3 hok6 ngoi6 jyu5 ge3 ging1 jim6 zau6 hou2 hou2 do1 laa3 。go2 zan6 si4 ngo5 ji5 ging1 duk6 gan2 daai6 hok6 ，ji4 mui5 jat1 jat6 faan1 hok6 ge3 lou6 cing4 dou1 hou2 jyun5 。jan1 wai6 ngo5 gok3 dak1 hai2 gam3 noi6 ge3 ce1 cing4 mat1 je5 dou1 m4 zou6 wui5 hou2 long6 fai3 si4 gaan1 ，so2 ji5 ngo5 kyut3 ding6 maai5 jat1 di1 luk6 jam1 daai3*2 ge3 syu1 lei4 jyu4 lok6 zi6 gei2 。kei4 zung1 jat1 bun2 luk6 jam1 daai3*2 ge3 syu1 hai6 gong2 jat1 go3 jan4 dat6 jin4 gaan1 jiu3 bun1 heoi3 ji3 daai6 lei6 lei4 tou4 bei6 jat1 go3 waai6 ge3 cing4 fong3 。 dong1 go3 zyu2 gok3 hai2 ji3 daai6 lei6 ge3 si4hau6 ，keoi5 bei6 bik1 jiu3 hok6 ji3 daai6 lei6 man4*2 。jan1 wai6 ngo5 seng4 jat6 dou1 teng1 ni1 go3 gu3 si6 ，ngo5 zau6 pui4 joeng5 zo2 soeng2 hok6 ngoi6 jyu5 ge3 hing3 ceoi3 。zung6 maai5 zo2 di1 hok6 ji3 daai6 lei6 man4*2 ge3 gwong1 dip6*2 tim1 lei4 hai2 zaa1 ce1 faan1 hok6 ge3 si4 hau6 teng1。ngo5 gam1 ci3 zung6 hok6 dou3*2 hou2 do1 je5 jan1 wai6 ngo5 gam1 ci3 jau5 bei2 sam1 gei1 。seoi1 jin4 ngo5 ge3 ji3 daai6 lei6 man4*2 dou1 m4 hai6 hou2 lau4 lei6 ，daan6 hai6 ngo5 hou2 hoeng2 sau6 go2 ci3 hok6 ngoi6 jyu5 ge3 gwo3 cing4 。

My next language learning encounter was much better. I was in college and I had a long commute to school and work. I felt like I was wasting a lot of time driving so I decided to listen to audio books to keep myself entertained. One such audio book was about an individual who suddenly had to move to Italy to escape a bad situation. While in Italy the main character was forced to learn Italian on his own. Listening to that audio book gave me some inspiration to again try to learn a foreign language. I purchased some Italian language CDs and started learning while driving to and from work. This time I put a little effort into learning and to my surprise it paid off. Although I never learned Italian to fluency, I still greatly enjoyed that language learning experience.

因為上次學意大利文好順利同俾到我享受嘅感覺，我今次就帶住樂觀同積極嘅態度去學，而我認為呢兩樣嘢係喺語言學習嘅過程係好重要嘅。我希望喺將來學到好多語言，仲可以叫自己做一個語言專家！

jan1 wai6 soeng6 ci3 hok6 ji3 daai6 lei6 man4*2 hou2 seon6 lei6 tung4 bei2 dou3*2 ngo5 hoeng2 sau6 ge3 gam2 gok3 ，ngo5 gam1 ci3 zau6 daai3 zyu6 lok6 gun1 tung4 zik1 gik6 ge3 taai3 dou6 heoi3 hok6 ，ji4 ngo5 jing6 wai4 ni1 loeng5 joeng6 je5 hai6 hai2 jyu5 jin4 hok6 zaap6 ge3 gwo3 cing4 hai6 hou2 zung6 jiu3 ge3。ngo5 hei1 mong6 hai2 zoeng1 loi4 hok6 dou3*2 hou2 do1 jyu5 jin4 ，zung6 ho2 ji5 giu3 zi6 gei2 zou6 jat1 go3 jyu5 jin4 zyun1 gaa1 ！

It was because of that experience that I approached learning Cantonese with optimism and enthusiasm; two things which I feel are essential for learning any language. In the future I hope to learn many more languages, and I hope to one day call myself a polyglot.

Cantoneseclass101.com Review

2010-10-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

I was happy to find a site that offered not only good Cantonese audio content, but also full transcripts of the listening files which I feel is essential for accurate learning. So naturally I signed up and payed the subscription fee, and then started downloading content. However, to my dismay, only the first five lessons were in colloquial Cantonese. The remaining seven were merely the Cantonese pronunciation of standard written Chinese, and furthermore those last seven lessons were mostly written in simplified character. Very disappointing!

The site isn't all bad. The first five lessons were quite useful and I was able to learn over 200 new vocabulary. I only looked at the intermediate/advanced lessons so I can't say anything about the beginner lessons whether good or not. I can say that personally I don't think the site is worth the yearly membership fee. Maybe they will add more authentic content in the future so that I can change my opinion, but until then I remain disappointed with my experience.

Concerning the lessons that were beneficial; the first three discussed housing in Hong Kong. The fourth is about Stephen Chow, and the fifth is about a control experiment. I thought the content was engaging along with a balanced vocabulary list. It did take some CantoDicting to get all the vocabulary sorted out, but thats pretty normal for almost any lesson.

I am interested to hear if anyone else has had an experience with cantonesecalss101.com? I would like to hear your comments and opinions.

American Speaking Cantonese - 美國人講廣東話

2010-10-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here is my first attempt at making a video of me speaking Cantonese. I was unusually nervous so I know I sound very strange, but I guess thats to be expected. I hope you all enjoy

My First Blog

2010-10-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone! As the title of my blog indicates, I would like to discuss the learning of Cantonese. My hope is that I will be able to track my Cantonese learning progress, and also to increase interest in Cantonese language and culture. Other topics may include travel, cuisine, language learning, or anything else I come across that may be of interest. I hope everyone finds this blog engaging, fun, and discussion provoking. My goal is to update and post new material at least once a week. Thank you for reading!