Chatty Cantonese | 粵語白白講

Have you ever watched an old movie and wondered if some of the lines might be spoken differently today? This week, Cameron challenges Raymond to a game where he has to take lines from Cantonese movies from the 50s and 60s and update them for a contemporary audience. Some of the lines include phrases that are used less in contemporary Hong Kong, while other phrases are still in use yet also have ne...

This episode features the second part of our interview with Dr. Lau, Chaakming, a long-term researcher and proponent of Cantonese in Hong Kong, his previous projects include words.hk and HamBaangLaang , and now he's also developing various other language resources. Dr Lau is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies at the Education University of Hong...

This episode features the first part of our interview with Dr. Lau, Chaakming, a long-term researcher and proponent of Cantonese in Hong Kong, his previous projects include words.hk and HamBaangLaang , and now he's also developing various other language resources. Dr Lau is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies at the Education University of Hong...

Cantonese is rich with vowel sounds, but some of them can be difficult for non-native speakers. One of the biggest challenges in this realm is differentiating between the "a" and "aa" sounds (with the classic example being gai1 (雞, chicken) vs. gaai1 (街, street)). Luckily, Raymond has three great tips for how to create more distinction between how you pronounce the two. Vocab...

Are there any foods that you love to eat when it gets cold out? Today we chat about a Cantonese winter staple, claypot rice (煲仔飯 bou1 zai2 faan6), and the types of Hong Kong shops that specialize in making just one dish. That brings us to the phrase 獨沽一味 (duk6 gu1 jat1 mei2). Episode transcript and vocabulary

This episode features part two of our conversation with YouTuber and blogger Brittany Chan. She shares some of her goals for studying Cantonese, as well as a few of her favorite resources for learning the language. Link to vocabulary and transcript Links to resources mentioned in this episode:  Hambaanglaang InspirLang 不浪漫故事 Not a Romantic Story 樂霖 Poetic Cantonese Boba Break Cantonese Cant...

The first part of a two-part conversation with YouTuber and blogger Brittany Chan, who creates content about overseas Chinese communities and studying Cantonese. Topics discussed include what first inspired her to begin making videos, as well as the community that has supported her along the way. Link to transcript and vocabulary Brittany's YouTube channel

Most students of Cantonese have probably encountered different pronunciations when it comes to words beginning with an "n" or "l" sound. Why is that? In this episode, Raymond and Cameron take on variations in Cantonese pronunciation and talk about why flexibility can be your greatest friend. Link to vocabulary and transcript

Everyone seems to be a fan of something, but how do you talk about it in Cantonese? This week, Raymond tells Cameron about a few ways that Hongkongers have talked about being a fan across the decades, along with some newer developments in the age of MIRROR. Link to vocabulary and transcript

The second half of a two-part conversation with Professor John Wakefield, this episode focuses on his linguistic research and thoughts on how Cantonese has evolved in recent decades. Professor Wakefield also discusses his 2019 edited volume Cantonese as a Second Language: Issues, Experiences and Suggestions for Teaching and Learning. Other resources mentioned in this episode: ViuTV YouTube Channel...

This week's guest is John Wakefield, an Associate Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University and a veteran Cantonese screen actor. The conversation has been split up into two parts, with this episode focusing on Professor Wakefield's journey learning Cantonese and his experiences in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Be sure to check the next episode for part two, where he discusses hi...

Some tones in Cantonese can seem very similar to new learners, particularly when they're similar "shapes" (e.g. tones 2 and 5). How can students figure out the difference? Raymond and Cameron share a few quick tricks. 

Raymond and Cameron discuss how Cantopop (Cantonese pop music) can act as a tool for language learning, as well as some of the medium's challenges. As an example, they look at MIRROR's "Ignited" and one of the colloquial expressions from the song: 焫著 (laat3 zoek6). Link to music video for "Ignited"

Cameron and Raymond continue their conversation with Pearl Low, a Vancouver-based author, artist, and animator, about their experience studying Cantonese as a heritage language. In this segment, Pearl dispels a common myth about Cantonese, and also gives suggestions to younger learners engaging with their heritage language. To learn more about Pearl's work, check out: https://www.pearllow.com...

Cameron and Raymond chat with Pearl Low, a Vancouver-based author, artist, and animator, about their experience studying Cantonese as a heritage language. Pearl shares a number of tips on learning Cantonese in a community-focused way. To learn more about Pearl's work, check out: https://www.pearllow.com/ Some of the resources Pearl mentions (in this and next episode): 1. Pearl's Twitter...

Raymond and Cameron tackle the subject of tones--does Cantonese have 6 or 9? Then Raymond shares his own tip for helping students practice tones. As for slang, there are two expressions this week: 雞同鴨講 (gai1 tung4 aap3 gong2)and 唔啱channel (m4 ngaam1 channel). For transcripts and translations, visit chattycantonese.com . Extra resources for tone practice: Cantolounge - How many tones are ther...

Raymond and Cameron chat a little about their experiences with Cantonese, as well as why it helps to be interested in what one studies. SPOILER: Today's slang is  牛唔飲水就唔撳得牛頭低 . Check chattycantonese.com for a full transcript, translation, and vocabulary words. If you have any questions, please reach out at chattycantonese@gmail.com

Welcome to Chatty Cantonese, also known as 粵語白白講, a podcast all about studying Cantonese. Our regular episodes feature brief conversations in Cantonese about Hong Kong culture and language learning, while transcripts and translations can be found at our website, chattycantonese.com. Also check out our guest episodes, where we do bilingual interviews with people all around the world who have d...