[siumai]

Originally Posted by neither3nor4

The number of books and other materials available make Mandarin easier to study indepedendently, but I wouldn't say Mandarin is easier to learn than Cantonese based on number of tones. Once one can identify the three level tones the rising and falling tones are readily recognisable.

Agree totally, but also the number of Cantonese materials is confusing because there is no standard romanization as there is pinyin for Mandarin.

Well, in any case the Chinese children in HK never learn to write Chinese with western alphabet so why should we? Just go ahead, bang your head and learn the classical characters! Westerners are FAR TOO LAZY when learning Chinese. It's much much more rewarding if you do it the proper way and learn the characters also and really learn the language.

[paulwilky76]

The YMCA in Tsim Sha Tsui do a Cantonese Level 1 course in the evenings and if you master this, then there is a further advanced course as well.

http://www.ymcahkcollege.edu.hk/engl...oursespage.htm

I did the level 1 course (10 weeks). Its a tough language to learn!! Saying that, I wasn't impressed with the standard of the tutoring. Simply reading the words / sentences out of a book and then getting people to repeat it a couple of times after is not the ideal way to learn a language......and because of this after about 4 weeks, it did (unfortunately) become a bit tiresome

[user888]

I have been studying Mandarin for a long time now while living on the mainland, As such I have become quite fluent. Of all the time I have gone to Hong Kong, I have always addressed people in mandarin. Everyone, thus far, has understood me and even replied (though poorly) in Mandarin. If you study Mandarin you will have all of the mainland open to you, if you stick with Cantonese you will only have HK and Guangdong. Likewise, with the mainland opeining up more and more, Mandarin is becoming the language of choice in hk

[Cat_Lau]

Originally Posted by user888

I have been studying Mandarin for a long time now while living on the mainland, As such I have become quite fluent. Of all the time I have gone to Hong Kong, I have always addressed people in mandarin. Everyone, thus far, has understood me and even replied (though poorly) in Mandarin. If you study Mandarin you will have all of the mainland open to you, if you stick with Cantonese you will only have HK and Guangdong. Likewise, with the mainland opeining up more and more, Mandarin is becoming the language of choice in hk

Agreed with you. for both mandarin & cantonese you have to take chance to pratice.

[lowlight]

Originally Posted by user888

I have been studying Mandarin for a long time now while living on the mainland, As such I have become quite fluent. Of all the time I have gone to Hong Kong, I have always addressed people in mandarin. Everyone, thus far, has understood me and even replied (though poorly) in Mandarin. If you study Mandarin you will have all of the mainland open to you, if you stick with Cantonese you will only have HK and Guangdong. Likewise, with the mainland opeining up more and more, Mandarin is becoming the language of choice in hk

You realize that "all of the mainland" means basically 2 or 3 cities instead of the 2 or 3 that you have access to with Cantonese. Unless of course you plan on digging ditches or tilling dead lifeless soil with the peasants who make up 95% of the population in that country...

[HKChigger]

Originally Posted by lowlight

You realize that "all of the mainland" means basically 2 or 3 cities instead of the 2 or 3 that you have access to with Cantonese. Unless of course you plan on digging ditches or tilling dead lifeless soil with the peasants who make up 95% of the population in that country...

2 or 3 cities? Depends if we are talking for business or the country as a whole. As much as speaking Mandarin in Hong Kong is going to get you looked down on, Mandarin is a more important language for the mainland. One province uses Cantonese, every province uses Mandarin. Including Taiwan. (Province or not, doesn't matter)

I would personally always stick with Cantonese myself. The thought of learning Mandarin is not one I enjoy. But, if I was dealing with China I would need to consider Mandarin A+ to learn.

BTW more people speak Mandarin than any other language. Must be more than 2-3 cities. Try hundreds of cities, thousands of villages.

[lowlight]

Originally Posted by HKChigger

2 or 3 cities? Depends if we are talking for business or the country as a whole. As much as speaking Mandarin in Hong Kong is going to get you looked down on, Mandarin is a more important language for the mainland. One province uses Cantonese, every province uses Mandarin. Including Taiwan. (Province or not, doesn't matter)

I would personally always stick with Cantonese myself. The thought of learning Mandarin is not one I enjoy. But, if I was dealing with China I would need to consider Mandarin A+ to learn.

BTW more people speak Mandarin than any other language. Must be more than 2-3 cities. Try hundreds of cities, thousands of villages.

Well it depends on your reasons for learning the language. Most people seem to believe that Mandarin and China is the key to immediate wealth. Yeah, China's economy is growing fast, and in 40 years it is expected to reach the level of America's, but there are still plenty of reasons not to want to deal with China... It all depends on how much your morals match theirs, or if you are able to ignore theirs, etc...

If it's for personal reasons, fine. Just know what you're getting into. China puts on a nice show for the rest of the world to see, but if you were to disregard the facades they put up, you'll be in for a shock.

And yes, more than 3 cities speak the language. I hope you were just feigning ignorance with that comment though, because I think I have made my point, and I know you're bright enough to 'get it'

Mandarin is the #1 language spoken in the world. But it's also mostly spoken by the poorest people in the world. If you think that's a useful tool to get rich, so be it... Maintain your ignorance if that works for you. If you think it's a good way to expand your culture, fine.

[user888]

Originally Posted by lowlight

Well it depends on your reasons for learning the language. Most people seem to believe that Mandarin and China is the key to immediate wealth. Yeah, China's economy is growing fast, and in 40 years it is expected to reach the level of America's, but there are still plenty of reasons not to want to deal with China... It all depends on how much your morals match theirs, or if you are able to ignore theirs, etc...

If it's for personal reasons, fine. Just know what you're getting into. China puts on a nice show for the rest of the world to see, but if you were to disregard the facades they put up, you'll be in for a shock.

And yes, more than 3 cities speak the language. I hope you were just feigning ignorance with that comment though, because I think I have made my point, and I know you're bright enough to 'get it'

Mandarin is the #1 language spoken in the world. But it's also mostly spoken by the poorest people in the world. If you think that's a useful tool to get rich, so be it... Maintain your ignorance if that works for you. If you think it's a good way to expand your culture, fine.

Are you shitting me? You obviously haven't spent very much time living in the mainalnd, have you?

Friggin ignorant HK people...

[lowlight]

Originally Posted by user888

Are you shitting me? You obviously haven't spent very much time living in the mainalnd, have you?

Friggin ignorant HK people...

I'm not an "HK Person" nor am I ignorant.

If you're not even going to bother offering counterpoints to my arguments, then just go away. You're not offering anything of value here.

[siumai]

Hey, chill out guys. Of course Mandarin is a bigger language and more useful in global sense. English is even bigger and more useful.

Cantonese is the language that well over 90% of HK people speak well over 90% of the times they open their mouths, so if you want to mix into the society in HK and understand what's really going on in here, it's the language to learn.