Are you interested in learning Cantonese? Learning this Chinese language is not as easy as it seems, especially for English speakers. You need to first associate with a reliable language learning centre to speak it fluently. They provide Cantonese courses to meet your professional and personal needs. And the instructors they have will make the learning process easier.
But when learning Cantonese, you need to deal with the following crucial things. So, let’s check them out first!
What to Encounter When Learning Cantonese
Tones
Cantonese is a tonal language. Hence, it can be difficult for English speakers to speak. It can also be challenging for the ones who articulate in their Chinese language because of its tonal system. Mandarin has four tones, while Cantonese has six. Hence, many people believe that Cantonese is a bit harder than Mandarin. But some foreigners can’t differentiate the tones.
Vocabulary
The Cantonese of Hong Kong have borrowed some words from English because of political ties with Britain. But you have to learn most of the words from scratch. In this language, some words have logic in putting them together. This type of vocabulary can make words easier to remember. But some words are challenging to recall.
Speaking/ Listening
Cantonese tones are available in two pitch ranges, which you can differentiate. The different tones of the language include:
Low Flat - It starts at the medium-low pitch and continues at the same level.
High Flat - The tone is high and stays the same.
Mid-Flat - This medium-pitch tone ends up at the same level.
Mid-Rising - It starts in the middle and goes up on a high pitch.
Low Rising - The tone begins with a medium-low pitch and then increases slightly.
Less Fall - It starts at a medium-low pitch and falls further.
Aside from these, there are many voices you will encounter in Cantonese.
Grammar
Grammar is the easiest piece of the Cantonese puzzle. But the trickiest part is the usage of aspect classifiers and suffixes. In this language, verbs are regular. They are not changed for the subject.
Writing/Reading
One can write Cantonese in simplified or traditional Chinese. It has a logographic writing system involving almost 50,000 characters. But you need not learn them all. Being familiar with 8000 characters is enough to get into the language. It’s not hard to understand but requires time.
Are you ready to learn Cantonese? Enrol your name in our language learning centre! All our instructors hold a lot of degrees in foreign languages. We teach students through our interactive learning modules. So, wait no more! Fill out the enrollment form.
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