Colloquial Cantonese 2nd edition and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Colloquial Cantonese: A Complete Language Course (Colloquial Series)
 
 
Start reading Colloquial Cantonese 2nd edition on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Colloquial Cantonese: A Complete Language Course (Colloquial Series) [Paperback]

Keith S.T. Tong , Gregory James
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £11.48  
Hardcover --  
Paperback £16.14  
Paperback, 28 April 1994 --  
Audio, CD, Audiobook, CD --  
Multimedia CD, Large Print --  
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details.


Product details

  • Paperback: 264 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (28 April 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0415082021
  • ISBN-13: 978-0415082020
  • Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.7 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 738,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Colloquial Cantonese has been specially written by an experienced teacher for self-study or class use and offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Cantonese.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(5)
(3)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
i've got about 30 cantonese learning books and would say this one, overall, is about as good as any beginners' book. on the plus side, it features: a passable glossary, clear presentation and covers most everyday situations. drawbacks are: no chinese characters, not enough repetition exercises. it seems to take approx 1 year for a beginners' class to get through the book (1.5hrs/wk tuition, along with other activities). the cassettes are crucial to get anything out of the course. Remember, the romanisation is only a means to an end (speaking). the book is geared to "situations" and as such may help to get you prepared for a short trip to HK, but it would not get you far for working or formal study. for the former, "A Cantonese Book" is more appropriate, whereas for the latter, the Sidney Lau series (difficult to get in Britain) remains, in my opinion, the best for those willing to invest the time. an excellent companion grammer is the Yip/Matthews.
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By ShiDaDao Ph.D TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is a very good and sound introductory course in the Cantonese dialect spoken in south China (including Hong Kong), and elsewhere in Asia, as well as by many members of the Chinese diaspora throughout the world. Although their are considered to be four varieties of Cantonese - this course teaches the 'Yuehai' or 'standard' version of the dialect. In the official language of China (Putonghua), Cantonese is referred to as 'Guangdonghua', which translates as the 'language of Guangdong province', this is the place where the Yue people live, and the area that the dialect is thought to have developed. The British referred to the Guangdong area as 'Canton', and the Yue people residing there as the 'Cantonese'.

The paperback (1994) edition contains 248 numbered pages, an Acknowledgements section, and Introduction and 15 distinct chapters:

Acknowledgements.
Introduction.
1) Maaih-yeh - Shopping.
2) Gaaujai-Meeting people.
3) Sihou - Interests and Leisure activities.
4) Sihgaan - Telling the time.
5) Ngoihbiu - Physical appearance.
6) Gachihn - Prices.
7) Faan-gung - Commuting.
8) Keuihdeih jouh-gan matyeh?
9) Bong Ngoh jouh di yeh - Do me a favour.
10) Hai bindouh? - Where is it?
11) Giu yeh Sikh - Ordering Food.
12) Tinhei - The Weather.
13) Yifuhk - The clothes we wear.
14) Leuihhahng gingyihm - Travelling expenses.
15) Da-dihnwa - On the telephone.
Key to exercises.
Cantonese-English Dictionary.
English-Cantonese Dictionary.
Further Reading.
Index of grammatical structures.

This book is available both separately and accompanied by 120 minute audio CD that mirrors every written lesson chapter. This combines visual education (reading), with correct audio learning (hearing). The words on the audio track are pronounced by native Cantonese speakers and pronunciations provided are of a precise and reliable nature. This dialect of Cantonese can be heard in UK Chinese restuarants and in and around areas of Chinese settlements, it is also what is heard and experienced on the streets of Hong Kong. As this is a colloquial course, the language structures are reflective of everyday common usage, and a firm foundation is provided. The transliteration of the Cantonese terms into phonetical English is not through the usual 'pinyin' system, (which is used to render Putonghua - or Manderin - into English), but is rather created through the Yale system. This fact serves to demonstrate the differences (in pronunciation) that exist between Cantonese and the official language of China. This is a good course designed with sound educational methods - read, listen and verbally repeat. The book on its own will give an appreciation of Cantonese, but regular interaction with the audio CD, with reference to the book will give a good basic language acquisition in a number of weeks.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
15 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:CD-ROM
I would not advise anyone to use books from the "Colloquial" series if they wish to start learning a language. The learner is expected to absorb a very large vocabulary and learn a great many new structures at a far greater pace than the average person is able to do. This is hard enough for a language very similar to English, but for a difficult language like Chinese the approach used in this series is quite unsuitable for beginners.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback