basic cantonese language

On the mainland, Cantonese continued to serve as the lingua franca of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces even after Mandarin was made the official language of the government by the Qing dynasty in the early 1900s. [62] Unlike other non-Mandarin Chinese varieties, Cantonese persists in a few state television and radio broadcasts today. As a result, Cantonese is being given a more important status by the natives than ever before as a common identity of the local people.[15]. Although termed as "lazy sound" (懶音) and considered substandard to Guangzhou pronunciation, the phenomenon has been widespread in the territories since the early 20th century. However, more recent immigrants are arriving from the rest of mainland China and Taiwan and most often speak Standard Mandarin (Putonghua) as their native language,[36][37] although some may also speak their native local variety, such as Shanghainese, Hokkien, Fuzhounese, Hakka, etc. It is also used as the medium of instruction in schools, alongside English. Most mainlanders are capable of reciting literature only in Mandarin, irrespective of their native tongue (which includes Cantonese). [54] Cantonese was also used in the popular Yuè'ōu, Mùyú and Nányīn folksong genres, as well as Cantonese opera. Learning Cantonese? Less prevalent, but still notable differences found among a number of Hong Kong speakers include: Cantonese vowels tend to be traced further back to Middle Chinese than their Mandarin analogues, such as M. /aɪ/ vs. C. /ɔːi/; M. /i/ vs. C. /ɐi/; M. /ɤ/ vs. C. /ɔː/; M. /ɑʊ/ vs. C. /ou/ etc. Cantonese is the dominant form of Chinese in Hong Kong. Increasingly since the 1997 Handover, Cantonese has been used as a symbol of local identity in Hong Kong, largely through the development of democracy in the territory and desinicization practices to emphasise a separate Hong Kong identity. During the Southern Song period, Guangzhou became the cultural center of the region. [32], In Indonesia, Cantonese is locally known as Konghu and is one of the variants spoken by the Chinese Indonesian community, with speakers largely concentrated in major cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Batam. Educated speakers often stick to the standard pronunciation but can exemplify the merged pronunciation in casual speech. In fact, when Hong Kong was handed back to China from the United Kingdom in 1997, only a fourth of the residents of Hong Kong spoke Mandarin, the official language of mainland China. "Entering" tones could be distinguished by their consonantal ending. Despite the efforts to standardize Cantonese romanization, those learning the language may feel frustrated that most native Cantonese speakers, regardless of their level of education, are unfamiliar with any romanization system. Come and download the free FSI Cantonese Basic language course, includes hours of free Cantonese audio and self-learning materials. The examples below are written in the Roman alphabet and because of the tonal differences, their pronunciation can make them difficult to understand. The vagueness of listing Chinese as the official language allows for the wide use of Cantonese… For instance, dim sum is often known as diǎn xīn in Singapore's English-language media, though this is largely a matter of style, and most Singaporeans will still refer to it as dim sum when speaking English. [61] The proclamation of Mandarin as the official national language, however, was not fully accepted by the Cantonese authorities in the early 20th century, who argued for the "regional uniqueness" of their own local language and commercial importance of the region. Nevertheless, there have been recent attempts to minimize the use of Cantonese in China. Cantonese is the dominant form of Chinese in Hong Kong. [16] Additionally, Cantonese media and popular culture from Hong Kong is popular throughout the region. Cantonese romanization systems are based on the accent of Canton and Hong Kong, and have helped define the concept of Standard Cantonese. Cantonese drama series on terrestrial TV channels are instead dubbed in Mandarin and broadcast without the original Cantonese audio and soundtrack. Developed by the foreign service institute and is now free in the public domain. Given the traditional predominance of Cantonese within Hong Kong, it is the de facto official spoken form of the Chinese language used in the Hong Kong Government and all courts and tribunals. [58] After the Xinhai Revolution of 1912, Cantonese almost became the official language of the Republic of China but lost by a small margin. [62][69] From the mid-1970s to the 1990s, Cantonese films made in Hong Kong were very popular in the Chinese speaking world. You might also think knowing a little Chinese might come in handy. This can be exemplified in the elimination of the contrast of sounds between 吳 (Ng, a surname) (ng4/ǹgh in Guangzhou pronunciation) and 唔 (not) (m4/m̀h in Guangzhou pronunciation). Cantonese is the predominant Chinese variety spoken in Hong Kong and Macau. Learning the Cantonese language is made more difficult by its nine distinct tones; this means that one word can have up to nine meanings, depending on both the tone and context. Cantonese is viewed as a vital and inseparable part of the cultural identity for its native speakers across large swaths of Southeastern China, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as in overseas communities. Want to learn to speak even more Cantonese the fast, fun and easy way? However, "Cantonese" may also refer to the primary branch of Chinese that contains Cantonese proper as well as Taishanese and Gaoyang; this broader usage may be specified as "Yue speech" (粵語; 粤语; Yuhtyúh). [59], In Mainland China, Standard Chinese (based on Mandarin) has been heavily promoted as the medium of instruction in schools and as the official language, especially after the communist takeover in 1949. The vagueness of listing Chinese as the official language allows for the wide use of Cantonese… Meanwhile, Cantonese has remained the official variety of Chinese in Hong Kong and Macau, both during and after the colonial period.[60]. An influential work on Cantonese, A Chinese Syllabary Pronounced According to the Dialect of Canton, written by Wong Shik Ling, was published in 1941. Hong Kong and Macau. Due to the city's long standing as an important cultural center, Cantonese emerged as the prestige dialect of the Yue varieties of Chinese in the Southern Song dynasty and its usage spread around most of what is now the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. The romanization advocated by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) is called Jyutping. By using Tripsavvy, you accept our. Cantonese proper is the variety native to the city of Canton, which is the traditional English name of Guangzhou. The Chinatowns of Queens comprise the primary cultural center for New York City's Chinese population and are more middle class.[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. Historically, speakers called this variety "Canton speech" or "Guangzhou speech" (廣州話; 广州话; Gwóngjāu wá), although this term is now seldom used outside Guangzhou. In contrast, less educated speakers pronounce the merge more frequently.[71]. It maintained this status until the mid-2000s, when a heavy increase in immigration from Mandarin-speakers largely from Mainland China led to Mandarin surpassing Cantonese as the dominant Chinese dialect spoken. Unlike the above two differences, this merge is found alongside the standard pronunciation in Hong Kong rather than being replaced. We made using the DLI - Cantonese language course - basic course material easier to use and more effective. [51] This is largely due to the presence of British Hong Kongers and the fact that many British Chinese also have origins in the former British colonies in Southeast Asia of Singapore and Malaysia. [30] Among Chinese-speaking Thai households, Cantonese is the fourth most-spoken variety of Chinese after Teochew, Hakka and Hainanese. Also, academically called "Canton prefecture speech" (廣府話; 广府话; Gwóngfú wá). Cantonese Class 101. Learn Cantonese In 15 Minutes A Day. 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