Learn about some common mistakes made by native Cantonese speakers
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What are some common mistakes made by native Cantonese speakers? |
| Siuling: And why do they make them? |
| Michael: At CantoneseClass101.com, we hear these questions often. The following situation is typical. |
| Portia Pang makes a language mistake common for many native speakers, before her teacher corrects her, "I will 'correch' the typo in my composition." |
| 彭妤柔: 我會紏正作文嘅錯字。 (ngo5 wui5 dau2 zing3 zok3 man2 ge3 co3 zi6.) |
| Dialogue |
| 彭妤柔: 我會紏正作文嘅錯字。 (ngo5 wui5 dau2 zing3 zok3 man2 ge3 co3 zi6.) |
| 許維虹: 唔係「紏正」，係「糾正」。 (m4 hai6 "dau2 zing3," hai6 "gau2 zing3.") |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| 彭妤柔: 我會紏正作文嘅錯字。 (ngo5 wui5 dau2 zing3 zok3 man2 ge3 co3 zi6.) |
| Michael: "I will 'correch' the typo in my composition." |
| 許維虹: 唔係「紏正」，係「糾正」。 (m4 hai6 "dau2 zing3," hai6 "gau2 zing3.") |
| Michael: "Not 'correch', but 'correct.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: By the way, the mistake in the conversation is very common among Hongkongers. |
| Siuling: Yes, like 債券 (zaai3 hyun3) "bond," another well-known example, is always pronounced as 債卷(zaai3 gyun3). Perhaps it's because the character 券 (hyun3) looks like 卷 (gyun2). |
| Michael: Another common mistake for native speakers is the "lazy tongue." We often receive questions from Cantonese learners saying that they are confused and cannot distinguish the N and L sounds when a native speaker speaks. Don't worry, it's a very common mistake made by the native speakers! |
| Siuling: For example, 你 (nei5) "you," should be pronounced with the N sound, but it is usually mispronounced with the L sound, lei5. Similarly, the word for "female," 女 (neoi5), is often pronounced as leoi5. |
| Michael: This "lazy tongue" issue is more obvious in the younger generation, but you might hear people of all ages messing up the N and L sounds. |
| Siuling: Another similar case is the GW sound. Have you heard a native speaker say 各家 (gok3 gaa1)? Actually, the pronunciation is correct, and it should be 國家 (gwok3 gaa1), "country." |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Siuling focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Portia says "I will 'correch' the typo in my composition." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 我會紏正作文嘅錯字。 (ngo5 wui5 dau2 zing3 zok3 man2 ge3 co3 zi6.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Siuling: 我會紏正作文嘅錯字。 (ngo5 wui5 dau2 zing3 zok3 man2 ge3 co3 zi6.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 我會紏正作文嘅錯字。 (ngo5 wui5 dau2 zing3 zok3 man2 ge3 co3 zi6.) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Helen says "Not 'correch', but 'correct.'" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 唔係「紏正」，係「糾正」。 (m4 hai6 "dau2 zing3," hai6 "gau2 zing3.") |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Siuling: 唔係「紏正」，係「糾正」。 (m4 hai6 "dau2 zing3," hai6 "gau2 zing3.") |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 唔係「紏正」，係「糾正」。 (m4 hai6 "dau2 zing3," hai6 "gau2 zing3.") |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Even the native speakers are making mistakes. So don't be afraid to speak. |
| Siuling: When you hear the lazy tongue, simply ignore it and stick with the Cantonese you've learned! |
| Michael: The native speakers might feel ashamed that you are speaking Cantonese more properly than them! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Siuling: 拜拜! (baai1 baai3!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
Comments
Hide