Hello
im new here and im quite young but dont dismiss my post because of that please?!
erm well basically im 16 and i have a girlfriend who is originally from Hong Kong.
iv been with her for 3 years now and im getting pretty fed up with not having a clue what she is saying to her parents, friends etc.
what i really want to do i learn cantonese but im dont have a clue where to start.
are there any websites where i can order books on Learning the language?
i understand that it is a hard language to grasp but i feel like i want to give it a try. im really serieous about this and i feel that it wold benefit my relationship with my girlfriend.
so any-one got any ideas?
ps. please excuse any sp. mistakes i have 3 broken fingures hence the innability to type properly!
thanks!
im new and im young
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Michael Thigpen
Re: im new and im young
There are some websites. Just do a search for "Cantonese lessons" on Google and you'll find plenty.
To save you the trouble, I'll suggest a few:
http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk Adam Sheik's site
http://www.chinawestexchange.com My site
http://www.cantonese.ca Someone I don't know's site
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To save you the trouble, I'll suggest a few:
http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk Adam Sheik's site
http://www.chinawestexchange.com My site
http://www.cantonese.ca Someone I don't know's site
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Witcie
Re: im new and im young
Thats great thanks i already knew my numbers but i just printed all the dates and Natural Objects(Fire and stuff like that) im on my way
apparently my name is
Leitac in chinese and my name is Richard is that correct spelling (in english) for my name
thanks again
erm i mean:
Mh Goi?!
apparently my name is
Leitac in chinese and my name is Richard is that correct spelling (in english) for my name
thanks again
erm i mean:
Mh Goi?!
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Michael Thigpen
Re: im new and im young
Richard,
Let me caution you about the name thing. English names do not have Chinese equivalents. What you're looking at is a transliteration (approximate pronunciation) of "Richard" in Cantonese. It isn't really a Chinese name.
You can adopt that pronunciation and some characters that match it, along with a Chinese surname, and then it will be your Chinese name. But just the sounds you found on one of the websites does not really make your name.
Why? Because the sounds are different in different dialects and for most names there is more than one possible transliterations. Most are not really standardized.
[%sig%]
Let me caution you about the name thing. English names do not have Chinese equivalents. What you're looking at is a transliteration (approximate pronunciation) of "Richard" in Cantonese. It isn't really a Chinese name.
You can adopt that pronunciation and some characters that match it, along with a Chinese surname, and then it will be your Chinese name. But just the sounds you found on one of the websites does not really make your name.
Why? Because the sounds are different in different dialects and for most names there is more than one possible transliterations. Most are not really standardized.
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Witcie
Re: im new and im young
Ah ok
thanks for the advice. so my name wont be able to be translated directly into chinese, could i just get a chinese name and change mine to it or what.
thanks for the advice. so my name wont be able to be translated directly into chinese, could i just get a chinese name and change mine to it or what.
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Michael Thigpen
Re: im new and im young
Basically, yes. Normally you pick a Chinese surname that sounds similar to part of your surname. For example, my last name is Thigpen and there is no initial "th" sound, I was given the surname 裴 (pronounced puih in Cantonese and pei3 in Mandarin) because it is close to the second syllable.
For a given name, it is common to pick a pair of characters that are similarly related in sound to your given name. But it is also common to just choose something that is meaningful and auspicious. My Chinese given name has no relation to my English given name. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd wait until there was a special reason to have a Chinese name and then let a native help you pick it or choose it for you.
[%sig%]
For a given name, it is common to pick a pair of characters that are similarly related in sound to your given name. But it is also common to just choose something that is meaningful and auspicious. My Chinese given name has no relation to my English given name. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd wait until there was a special reason to have a Chinese name and then let a native help you pick it or choose it for you.
[%sig%]
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helmut
Re: im new and im young
My main advice to you would be:
Try first to find a Cantonese class, where you have a teacher.
Unfortunately there are not so many. It depends on where you live. Where do you live ?
If there are no classes around, self study is the way most people go, but that is pretty hard in the beginning. So I would recommend that only if you really cannot find any classes.
Try first to find a Cantonese class, where you have a teacher.
Unfortunately there are not so many. It depends on where you live. Where do you live ?
If there are no classes around, self study is the way most people go, but that is pretty hard in the beginning. So I would recommend that only if you really cannot find any classes.
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Witcie
Re: im new and im young
I live In Newcastle, England
there is a Chinese School close by which im intending to enrol in in September but i wanna get the basics learnt before hand, the school take it up to GCSE level (which stands for General Sertificate of Secondary Education) a bit like SAT's in USA?! i think. it teaches one day a week for the entire school year and im told is bery good for begginers
there is a Chinese School close by which im intending to enrol in in September but i wanna get the basics learnt before hand, the school take it up to GCSE level (which stands for General Sertificate of Secondary Education) a bit like SAT's in USA?! i think. it teaches one day a week for the entire school year and im told is bery good for begginers
Re: im new and im young
Cantonese to the GCSE level ? You are really lucky. This course is clearly your best bet.
You want to learn something before joining the class ? Apart from the mentioned websites which are free of charge, you may consider to buy a beginners course (book with tapes).
My personal favourite is "Colloquial Cantonese" by K.Tong and G.James. It is not so terribly expensive. It is published by Routledge and should thus be easy to obtain in Britain. Ask your local bookstore whether they can get it for you. If not, Amazon UK surely will be glad to help out.
The book's biggest disadvantage: it has hardly any Chinese characters and so your girl-friend may find it difficult to help.
You want to learn something before joining the class ? Apart from the mentioned websites which are free of charge, you may consider to buy a beginners course (book with tapes).
My personal favourite is "Colloquial Cantonese" by K.Tong and G.James. It is not so terribly expensive. It is published by Routledge and should thus be easy to obtain in Britain. Ask your local bookstore whether they can get it for you. If not, Amazon UK surely will be glad to help out.
The book's biggest disadvantage: it has hardly any Chinese characters and so your girl-friend may find it difficult to help.