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Vocabulary
Character | Pinyin | English |
---|---|---|
粤话 | Yuèhuà | Cantonese language (PN) |
普通话 | Pǔtōnghuà | Mandarin language (PN) |
广州 | Guǎngzhōu | Guangzhou (PN) |
广东 | Guǎngdōng | Guangdong Province (PN) |
香港 | Xiānggǎng | Hong Kong (PN) |
澳门 | Àomén | Macao (PN) |
广西壮族自治区 | Guǎngxī Zhuàngzú Zìzhìqū | Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (PN) |
语言 | yǔyán | language (N) |
方言 | fāngyán | dialect (N) |
唐人街 | Tángrén Jiē | China Town (PN) |
汉藏语系 | Hàn Zàng yǔxì | Sino-Tibetan language family (PN) |
声调 | shēngdiào | tone (N) |
语法 | yǔfǎ | grammar (N) |
汉字 | hànzì | Chinese characters (N) |
Study Questions
- Why might some people refer to Cantonese as a dialect when it is mutually unintelligible with Mandarin? Compare this with Spanish and Italian which are somewhat mutually intelligible, but always referred to as separate languages.
- Why do Cantonese speaking people refer to themselves as Tángrén rather than Hànrén? What does this indicate about the historical differences between southern and northern Chinese people.
- For Chinese speakers/learners: Can you find any similarities between Cantonese phonetics and southern-accented Mandarin?
- Within mainland China, the significance of Cantonese is greatly overshadowed by Mandarin, the national language. What is the significance of Cantonese overseas, especially in America, as compared to Mandarin?
- How might regional language differences challenge Chinese national identity and unity? Which takes precedent: linguistic identity or national identity?
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