Cantonese Chinese For Beginners

The newbie's first bit of surprising information in Chinese language learning would be on the number of its variations. It is not just simply generic Chinese. There are, actually, many languages and dialects in China. Although, they have a lot in common there are still peculiarities in each, which necessitates that they be classified as distinct languages. However, there are only two main Chinese languages: Mandarin and Cantonese. The rest are mostly dialects and are close kin to the main ones.

While Mandarin is China's official language, Cantonese is still much in use by the southern and more populated part of the country, including Hong Kong. It is also the commonly used language of Chinese communities abroad particularly in Europe and North America. In Hong Kong alone, a city that has great influence of the world economy, Cantonese is more widely spoken than Mandarin is. This is why many would still prefer to study Cantonese Chinese, enabling them to converse with any Chinese anywhere in the world.

Both Cantonese and Mandarin are tonal languages but they sound very different because they have disparate syllabic sets with their own respective rules for syllable formation. They have different tones for every word to convey different meanings. However, while Mandarin only has four tones, Cantonese has six to nine tones for every particular word. This makes the latter much harder and longer to learn, especially for beginners.

Learning Cantonese may be tough for any newbie, but it is not impossible. All that he has to do is to listen to it spoken and practice it in conversing as often as possible. Because of the irregular rise and fall of tones, he may not be able to comprehend the rules just by listening it spoken, even more so by the native Chinese. What are more noticeable are the tones and no longer the words. However, in Cantonese, the tone is precisely the meaning of the word. That is why it is very important that the correct tone is heard and absorbed by the beginner.

The use of audio books as self-instruction materials definitely would solve much of the learning problem. These provide the beginner an easy and speedy manner towards learning Cantonese. These teach the learner, in a clear and crisp voice, the correct pronunciation and intonation of every word. The learner, of course, can conveniently replay it with his digital audio player anytime he wishes in order for him to get the tone accurately.

Audio books on learning the Cantonese language will certainly make it even easier for you to learn the language fast. These use the Pimsleur method, which does away with what is unnecessary in learning how to speak the language soon. Only those words and phrases and their respective tones, which are used in ordinary conversation, are taught. You can look for a site that has a variety of audio books that would surely help any novice to learn it with fun. You can try checking out The Talking Bookstore.

For those who thirst for the real thing, here is the complete list of all your favourite language learning audio courses: pimsleur language learning online

When you happen to have a particular Chinese language course in mind, try searching for it here: learn Chinese language courses