Cantonese is one of the most fun and expressive languages spoken by people in Hong Kong. It originated in Guangzhou (Canton) and has over 80 million speakers all over the world. This tonal language comes with six kinds of tones. Therefore, learning Cantonese is quite interesting. Not only that but there are also many interesting facts about Cantonese, which will lead you and your kid to learn this language. So, let’s explore these first in the following lines.
Interesting Facts about Cantonese
Cantonese Is Not Only Spoken in Hong Kong
Cantonese is actually an international Chinese language. It’s the official language of Hong Kong and Macau. In addition, this language is widely spoken in other parts of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, etc. It means this language has a big international significance.
Cantonese Is Similar to Mandarin but Sounds Different
When you write down, Cantonese is similar to Mandarin. But if you learn the difference between these two languages, you will see that they are written with the same base characters. But the words would sound different when you read out in either language.
Cantonese Is Popular Than Mandarin
Mandarin is the official language of mainland China. Its popularity lies in the area around Beijing. But many of the Chinese living overseas come from the Southern part of the country, where Cantonese is widely spoken. Not only that, but you will also likely hear Cantonese in Europe and America.
It’s More Tonal Than Mandarin
All varieties of Chinese languages are tonal. Some have more tones than others. For example, Cantonese has six tones, while Mandarin has four. These include dark flat, dark rising, dark departing, light fat, light rising, and light departing. According to many experts, Cantonese has nine tones. But you can distinguish only the six.
Cantonese Has Many Aspects of Ancient Chinese
Cantonese has a wide variety of linguistic quirks originating from ancient Chinese. You will find consonant sounds in most dialects of Cantonese, which were popular in the old language.
So, wait no more! Fill out our enrolment form to enrol your name in our language learning centre. Our instructors provide 1 to 1 or group lessons. Call us or drop a message if you have any queries.
Comments