Language 語言
Differences between Mandarin and Cantonese; Written and Spoken
Earlier I had written something as a comment on a blog that belonged another person in regards to a question that asked if someone who knew Mandarin could communicate to someone who knew only Cantonese. The responses were quite misleading and some were semi-flawed so I decided to clear things up, although it went a [...]
The Origin of the Name “Canton”
When words from a relatively phonetically flexible language, such as English, typically get imported into a Chinese language, there is usually an attempt made by the Chinese language to replicate the sound of the original language. Melliflous words such as “Italy” (意大利 yi3daai6lei6) have little problem adapting to the limited sound palette of Chinese languages, [...]
Why I Choose to Defend Instead of Run
As many of you already know, my purpose for this website is to defend, promote, and protect Cantonese culture and language; it is a primary goal that I have decided to take upon and I do not intend on giving up. This is essentially my life and what essentially defines me. I am very sure [...]
Cantonese in Other Cultures – Jackie Chan Adventures
Cantonese in Other Cultures is a new segment that points out the existence of Cantonese in other cultures. Today we will be looking at Jackie Chan Adventures, a US cartoon series that aired on the WB from 2000-2005. This animated series revolves around the life of a fictionalized version of the Hong Kong superstar Jackie [...]
Some Oldie’s Songs
I was listening to some oldies Cantonese songs from the 90′s on Youtube. Just thought I share some with you here. They’re all female songs in the 90′s, with one exception of non-Cantonese singer. Somehow, I think these songs transmit a special kind of sentimental feeling much better than the new canto-singers. I guess that’s what [...]
Simplified Characters Might Cause Lost in Pronunciation for Cantonese
I would first like to make a very bold statement in saying that if you are trying to learn Mandarin (普通話), your best bet would be to learn Simplified Chinese Characters (簡體字). However if your motive is to learn Cantonese (廣東話), I believe that you should instead learn Traditional Chinese Characters (繁體字). Now before anyone [...]
Qixi (Chatjik): Story of Chinese Valentine’s Day
I have to first apologize for missing such an important day in Chinese culture! According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar (農曆), today’s date is 蘭月初十 meaning the “10th day of the 7th month.” Therefore three days ago it was 蘭月初七 which likewise meant the “7th day of the 7th month.” The significance of this is [...]
Arguments Over the Cantonese Language
I am a frequent visitor of a couple of forums. A good lengthy discussion was made that I took a part in that perhaps you guys would want to see. The focal point was in regards to this presentation that member had produced. I will not directly post much from that site because it contains [...]
YUI – Goodbye Days sung in Cantonese
Many times I have heard from numerous people that have commented on the lack of creativity and or talent that exists in Chinese music particularly the Cantonese area of entertainment business. To me personally it is quite a sad thing to hear and see that there are not many singers left in the Cantopop (粵語流行音樂) [...]
Views of the Cantonese Language Protest
Here is another item in regards to the Cantonese Language protests that are happening in Guangdong from another perspective of a friend. For one thing, I support educating all Chinese with Mandarin to facilitate communication of citizens in China. On the other hand, it is important to encourage all regions to preserve their own dialect, [...]
