Many people who want to learn Cantonese can’t speak fluently despite having a good grammar score. It even happens with the people who are well aware of Mandarin. They tend to find Cantonese difficult as it’s a tonal language. It can be challenging, especially for English speakers. But if you are living in Hong Kong, you and your kids should be familiar with this language.
However, it’s possible to master it! And it entirely depends on your effort. Below are a few simple tips that can help you in your endeavour.
Tips to Learn Cantonese Quickly
Listen to Cantonese Daily
When it comes to attending Cantonese course, put enough emphasis on its listening. Take your time to listen to the dialogues in Cantonese. And to get used to the language, listen many times daily. At first, try to listen without a transcript to check what you have already known. You can also take the help of Jyutping to listen and read at the same time.
Pay Attention to Vocabulary
If you want to speak fluently in Cantonese, learning vocabulary is a must. Without knowing words, you will not be able to speak any language. According to the study, it needs 1,500 to 2,000 characters to be recognized to learn this language. And in terms of full proficiency, you should be familiar with around 13,060 characters.
Remember Tones
Many people assume that learning Cantonese tones is quite difficult. This language features low falling tones. Besides, a range of vowel combinations can also be a problem for learners. For beginners, it’s recommended to learn only six tones - low flat, low rising, middle, middle rising, high flat, and falling tone. It will help you speak Cantonese fluently.
Focus on Translation
Translate short sentences from your mother language into Cantonese. This method is more effective than translating Cantonese into your language. And if you want to do it, try translating sentences orally and repeat every sentence twice.
Retell Texts
It’s best to retell stories after you have read them. And this task will help you overcome the language barrier. Many people can’t speak fluently because they don’t know what to say. And it’s difficult for them to improvise. If you read texts, you have certain ideas in your mind that you want to express in your own words. Thus, the Cantonese language will flow easily, which will help you learn.
Hope, these guidelines will help you learn Cantonese within the shortest possible time. But first of all, you need to enrol yourself in a reliable language learning centre. Make sure they have a team of highly experienced instructors and offer parent-child courses.
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