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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| OrlMoth Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6307 days ago 77 posts - 83 votes  2 sounds | Message 1 of 11 23 September 2007 at 11:17am | IP Logged | ||
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I'm a 22 year old graphic designer in Mexico bored with my job. Since being Spanish/English bilingual no longer pays, because there's so many "bi-lingual people" who speak enough English to communicate with tourists (but not enough to talk to them), I decided to add Cantonese to my list.
I lived in the USA 7 years. For two of those years, I was a semi-professional interpreter at a Church. I also worked with Mexican Immigrants to understand not just what was being said, but the culture, and expressions. There is a growing community of Cantonese speaking immigrants in the area, therefore a growing market for Cantonese. I'm also interested in cultures of the world, and it remains largely left alone. The immigrants remain a mystery to most natives, and most of the business done with them is thought to be hard and "almost useless". But with my experience in immigration in the USA, I know that the breaking the language barrier can be a good thing: for peace among people, for understanding, and for my own pocket! My reasons for learning Cantonese are (in order of importance): • To prove I can: I was very proud when I learned English quicker than other people, and I'm out to prove myself I still can Handle more languages. • To pay an old debt: Back in the USA, there used to be many natives who learned Spanish that were very helpful. They were all kinds of people: movie theater workers, carpenters, teachers, tutors. I hope to be one of the few helpful Natives we immigrants got to like so much. • To make new friends: In the USA, I got used to having friends from all cultures and backgrounds. My current social group feels to monotone when it comes to cultures. I also miss alternating between languages among friends. • For business: Like I said before, there's a growing market for Cantonese in the Area. Even if the immigrants are supposed to "assimilate" the culture, I know from experience that as long as there's people coming, there will always be a local market for that language. Outside of the local market, there's the international business, too. A lot of things we buy are made in China and Hong Kong. Knowing Cantonese, I may be able to go into international. As for my future plans, I'm seeing Cantonese won't be the last language I learn. Here's my list of languages I would like to learn (in order of interest to me): Hawaiian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Swahili, Russian, Mandarin, Khmer, Nahuatl, German, French. (I would like to understand all languages in the world. But I only mentioned my top 10). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| OrlMoth Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6307 days ago 77 posts - 83 votes 2 sounds | Message 2 of 11 23 September 2007 at 11:18am | IP Logged | ||
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I've kept a Cantonese log on my computer for a while, but I've never shared it with anyone. Please comment and advice as much as you want. Since the notes are mostly to myself, you'll see I hardly ever write in complete sentences there.
Sat Jun 23 2007 - First lessons acquired. Got an overview of pronunciation and sounds present in Cantonese language. Sun Jun 24 2007 - First lesson done. Pronunciation seems tricky. Lesson will be repeated tomorrow. Wed Jul 11 2007 - Second lesson dominated. Intonation and pronunciation a bit off. Wed Jul 18 2007 - Third lesson dominated. Intonation still a problem. Pronunciation a bit off. Having problems with "You" and "I". Fri Jul 27 2007 -Fourth lesson finished. Pronunciation is getting harder, and sentences more complex. Seems like the 5th lesson will be mastered faster. Fri Aug 17 2007 -Allowing one more day for 6th lesson. Lessons slowed down for no reason. Sentences getting more complex. General understanding getting better. I can distinguish intonation easily now. Sat Sep 22 2007 -Currently on Pimsleur Lesson 10-11. I can now handle one hour of two lessons a day. I started a Language Exchange with a native speaker in HongKong. She thinks my pronunciation is very good, but I can't yet hold a conversation in Cantonese with her. I'm having trouble with the number 7, and the verb "to go" (As in "are you going to go to the party tonight?" I'm also starting The colloquial Cantonese workbook in order to build some vocabulary. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| senor_smile Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6329 days ago 110 posts - 115 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Latin, Russian | Message 3 of 11 25 September 2007 at 11:31am | IP Logged | ||
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I didn't go too far into learning cantonese, only essentially enough to get where I needed when I was in Hong Kong. However, I have both colloquial cantonese and teach yourself cantonese(among others), and I would highly recommend the latter. The Colloquial cantonese book seemed to introduce lots of material without sufficient explanations for me. What do you think of the book? Has the Pimsleur helped you a lot?
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| OrlMoth Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6307 days ago 77 posts - 83 votes 2 sounds | Message 4 of 11 27 September 2007 at 10:11am | IP Logged | ||
The colloquial Cantonese book would be impossible to understand if I hadn't done Pimsleur before. Pimsleur is a great help. A while ago, I saw someone whining in another Cantonese learning forum that Pimsleur only "teaches you to say a few phrases like a native, it's a waste of time", and it's exactly what it is, minus the waste of time. My Hong Kong exchange friend thinks my pronunciation is great, but my vocabulary is limited. I am hoping to move on to FSI and others to build up on that. In summary: Pimsleur is not a complete course, but there's no better way to get started. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| OrlMoth Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6307 days ago 77 posts - 83 votes 2 sounds | Message 5 of 11 29 September 2007 at 5:59pm | IP Logged | ||
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Sat Sep 29 - Moved on to lesson 12-13. My vocabulary is getting wider, the lessons getting easier to master. Pronunciation is now easier.
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| OrlMoth Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6307 days ago 77 posts - 83 votes 2 sounds | Message 6 of 11 09 October 2007 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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Tue, Oct 9- Currently on lessons 15-16. I'm noticing that I can handle 3 lessons a day, repeated two or three times. I can master them in 2 days that way, moving on faster. I just realized that I overkill lessons too much. I should move on quicker. Pronunciation is now simple, I can learn words in fewer tries than before. To my own surprise, I'm now building my own sentences without noticing at all.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Aritaurus Tetraglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6517 days ago 197 posts - 204 votes Speaks: Cantonese, English*, Japanese, Mandarin Studies: Spanish | Message 7 of 11 09 October 2007 at 6:42pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's rare to find people who would learn Cantonese before Mandarin. Good luck on your studies and I hope to hear you speak the language soon !
I honestly believe Cantonese would have been hard to learn if it wasn't speak at home. The pronounciation seems very difficult for even many Chinese in America born to Cantonese speaking parents. Are there many Cantonese speaking people where you live ? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| edwin Triglot Senior Member Canada towerofconfusi&Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6407 days ago 160 posts - 183 votes 9 sounds Speaks: Cantonese*, English, Mandarin Studies: French, Spanish, Portuguese | Message 8 of 11 09 October 2007 at 8:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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OrlMoth,
There is the one and only Cantonese forum on the Internet. It contains great resources! You cannot learn Cantonese without it. There you will meet a lot of Cantonese learners (most of them learn Cantonese before they learn Mandarin (if they really bother to), as well as many native speakers. http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phorum/index.php Good luck in your language learning! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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