Providing a description and analysis of Hong Kong vernacular Cantonese speech styles, notably the language of the Triad-dominated criminal underworld, of teenagers and of Hong Kong movies and comics, this reference text is arranged alphabetically in both Cantonese and English.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
'Cantonese popular literature, comic books and movies-in fact, everyday life-is incomprehensiblewithout some understanding of slang. [A...]A Dictionary of Cantonese Slang is the one and only, covering everything from common colloquialismsto triad trash-talking.' -Professor Frank Dikotter, SOAS'a very significant contribution to the field of Chinese lexicography. [A...] Will shed much light on the kind of Cantonese speech that many people know about, talk about, and use in their daily conversations yet have not considered worthy of serious scholarship.' -Robert S. Bauer, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Bun Tsai
Format:Hardcover
Southern Chinese languages (so-called dialects) retain ancient archaic features of middle Chinese, from the Tang and Sung dynasties or before, depending on when they diverged from the northern precursors of Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin/Putonghua).
Cantonese is particularly interesting, however, because, unlike the other southern languages, it is thriving in China in the face of official discouragement and legal obstacles. There are Cantonese TV and radio stations in China. This vigour draws from the status of Cantonese in Hong Kong.
This dictionary is a surprisingly comprehensive compendium of contemporary street slang. Although the authors draw many of their references from recordings of the criminal underworld (Hong Kong Triads), most of the words and phrases are in common everyday usage. The cataloguing of offensive swear words and gang slang is brave in the censorship policy of the Hong Kong government. Even fluent Cantonese speakers will be able to understand the line between low vulgarity and explicit and crude language.
Beautifully produced and bound, with Chinese characters and phonetic pronunciation, I bought a second copy immediately for a gift.
Cantonese is particularly interesting, however, because, unlike the other southern languages, it is thriving in China in the face of official discouragement and legal obstacles. There are Cantonese TV and radio stations in China. This vigour draws from the status of Cantonese in Hong Kong.
This dictionary is a surprisingly comprehensive compendium of contemporary street slang. Although the authors draw many of their references from recordings of the criminal underworld (Hong Kong Triads), most of the words and phrases are in common everyday usage. The cataloguing of offensive swear words and gang slang is brave in the censorship policy of the Hong Kong government. Even fluent Cantonese speakers will be able to understand the line between low vulgarity and explicit and crude language.
Beautifully produced and bound, with Chinese characters and phonetic pronunciation, I bought a second copy immediately for a gift.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Fantong
Format:Hardcover
waited a long time for this to come out, and well worth it..the book is a fantastic contribution to Cantonese language study.
Cantonese is difficult anyway, and has very few good books for those learning the language, in contrast to Mandarin.
well done to the authors and publishers for sticking it out, anyone seriously studying Cantonese will need to learn the wonderfully rich and varied slang, and this really is a serious and valuable work, also rather amusing..thank you!.
Cantonese is difficult anyway, and has very few good books for those learning the language, in contrast to Mandarin.
well done to the authors and publishers for sticking it out, anyone seriously studying Cantonese will need to learn the wonderfully rich and varied slang, and this really is a serious and valuable work, also rather amusing..thank you!.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I am impressed.
29 July 2005
By Tai
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Before you purchase a copy just remember this is a dictionary for CANTONESE slang. Cantonese being one of the many Chinese dialogues, obviously not every Chinese speaks Cantonese.
So having said that, I must inform everyone that Cantonese has the most vivid descriptions and usages of slang of the entire Chinese language (yet, being the least awful sounding). How do I know, because I was born in that wonderful city of Hong Kong! It's my native tongue, so trust me, we know how to slang in style~~ However, not all Cantonese slangs are entirely cruses nor are they offensive, you can use many of them safely in any environment. And this book presents the best of them in their original forms, including the usage of each slang and how to apply it within your speech. I am amazed by how accurate the dictionary truly is. The definations are all better than I thought they would be (as well as its entertaining value)! So if you are ever tired from repeating the same old phrases over and over again, then try adding a few Cantonese slangs into your speech to spice things up a little bit.
So having said that, I must inform everyone that Cantonese has the most vivid descriptions and usages of slang of the entire Chinese language (yet, being the least awful sounding). How do I know, because I was born in that wonderful city of Hong Kong! It's my native tongue, so trust me, we know how to slang in style~~ However, not all Cantonese slangs are entirely cruses nor are they offensive, you can use many of them safely in any environment. And this book presents the best of them in their original forms, including the usage of each slang and how to apply it within your speech. I am amazed by how accurate the dictionary truly is. The definations are all better than I thought they would be (as well as its entertaining value)! So if you are ever tired from repeating the same old phrases over and over again, then try adding a few Cantonese slangs into your speech to spice things up a little bit.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long overdue, but worth it.
23 July 2005
By Anthony J. Bybell
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
When you see that an ex-CID officer wrote the intro and gave his nod of approval, you know you're in for a slang dictionary like few others--and this even includes such longtime favorites as Constantine's "Japanese Street Slang". Drawing from various diverse sources ranging from linguistic research papers to pornographic magazines, the authors have their bases covered. Even if you don't know Cantonese you'll find it's a very fun read what with such innocent sounding expressions as "ice fire" making you shake your head in disbelief when you read the definition. Students of Cantonese will like this one a lot: it has both the Yale transliteration (which it's indexed by) and Chinese characters so you'll be able to lend it to your Chinese friends too so they can learn how to express themselves more colorfully in English. Highly recommended.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
outstanding
4 Oct 2005
By Fantong
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
waited a long time for this to come out, and well worth it..the book is a fantastic contribution to Cantonese language study.
Cantonese is difficult anyway, and has very few good books for those learning the language, in contrast to Mandarin.
well done to the authors and publishers for sticking it out, anyone seriously studying Cantonese will need to learn the wonderfully rich and varied slang, and this really is a serious and valuable work, also rather amusing..thank you!.
Cantonese is difficult anyway, and has very few good books for those learning the language, in contrast to Mandarin.
well done to the authors and publishers for sticking it out, anyone seriously studying Cantonese will need to learn the wonderfully rich and varied slang, and this really is a serious and valuable work, also rather amusing..thank you!.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Languages > By Language > Chinese > Cantonese
- Books > Languages > By Language > Chinese > Dictionaries
- Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauri > Slang & Idioms
- Books > Reference > Language > Slang & Jargon
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Issues > Gangs
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Linguistics > Historical & Comparative Linguistics > Slang & Jargon
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
