[jonathanjong]

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Anyone else born in the year of the Ox?

 

[jaykay]

Happy new year! Chuc Mung Nam Moi! I'm the year of the horse.

 

[Headphile808]

Happy New Year! 2009 Year Of The Ox. I'm The Year Of The Boar.
Aloha

Headphile808

 

[RYCeT]

Happy new year guys, this is one of those days I wish I'm at my home country.

 

[apatN]

I think I was a sheep or goat.. Oh well. Happy new year!

 

[jonathanjong]

Where you from. RYCeT?

 

[Drag0n]

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Im year of the Drag0n , which is why my name is Drag0n

I thought it was Gung Hee Fot Choy???

Im not Chinese, so what do i know?

 

[tk3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drag0n /img/forum/go_quote.gif Gong Xi Fa Cai! Im year of the Drag0n , which is why my name is Drag0n I thought it was Gung Hee Fot Choy??? Im not Chinese, so what do i know?

Mandarin vs cantonese.

<< Rat

 

[jonathanjong]

Gog Hey Fatt Choi = Cantonese
Gong Xi Fa Cai = Mandarin

For the benefit of those who don't know, "Chinese" is not a spoken language. Cantonese and Mandarin are technically both spoken dialects of Chinese, which share a written system. Mandarin is the most widely used dialect (indeed, it is the most widely spoken dialect in the world), and it often confusingly called a "language" in its own right. But then, I'm no linguist. I suppose it's OK to have non-written languages. Else lots of indigenous tongues would be disqualified. Dunno.

 

[TopPop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the benefit of those who don't know, "Chinese" is not a spoken language. Cantonese and Mandarin are technically both spoken dialects of Chinese, which share a written system. Mandarin is the most widely used dialect (indeed, it is the most widely spoken dialect in the world), and it often confusingly called a "language" in its own right. But then, I'm no linguist.

Is there mutual intelligibility between speakers of Cantonese and those of Mandarin? If so, then I'd label them dialects of the same language. If not, then I'd be hard-pressed to not say "language".

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

Gong Xi Fa Chai! I wish I was in my home country as well. Now I'm stuck celebrating it in my room with a roommate next door who doesn't know a thing about hygiene and his room stinks so bad that I can smell the odour even with his door closed! Nice!

On another note, at least I'll be home for Chap Goh Meh.

 

[jonathanjong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopPop /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there mutual intelligibility between speakers of Cantonese and those of Mandarin? If so, then I'd label them dialects of the same language. If not, then I'd be hard-pressed to not say "language".

Depends on what you're asking. It's a sociological fact that lots and lots of people understand both Cantonese and Mandarin, but this is more of a historical accident than a result of linguistic similarities between the two dialect/languages, I think. That said, "lots and lots" isn't a precise answer to you question. To be honest, I don't know if "most" Cantonese speakers also understand Mandarin, etc. I consider them the same language because they share a written system. They just pronounce each word differently, sort of like how different English speakers pronounce words differently. In NZ, "pen" sounds like "pin", for example. Most of you would be more familiar with the US-UK differences. e.g., Schedule, privacy, lieutenant.

 

[TopPop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Depends on what you're asking. It's a sociological fact that lots and lots of people understand both Cantonese and Mandarin, but this is more of a historical accident than a result of linguistic similarities between the two dialect/languages, I think. That said, "lots and lots" isn't a precise answer to you question. To be honest, I don't know if "most" Cantonese speakers also understand Mandarin, etc. I consider them the same language because they share a written system. They just pronounce each word differently, sort of like how different English speakers pronounce words differently. In NZ, "pen" sounds like "pin", for example. Most of you would be more familiar with the US-UK differences. e.g., Schedule, privacy, lieutenant.

Hmmm, okay, I see.

But what about two illiterate speakers, one a monolingual speaker of Cantonese, and the other a monolingual speaker of Mandarin: would they be able to understand each other in conversation? Is it strictly a difference in pronunciation that's at hand, or do the two diverge further than that?

 

[Dzjudz]

I was born in the year of the Ox, I just found out (thank you wikipedia), the Wood Ox to be precise.

 

[jellojoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopPop /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, okay, I see. But what about two illiterate speakers, one a monolingual speaker of Cantonese, and the other a monolingual speaker of Mandarin: would they be able to understand each other in conversation? Is it strictly a difference in pronunciation that's at hand, or do the two diverge further than that?

They would not be able to understand each other. There are many dialects in the Chinese language. I speak both Mandarin and Shanghai dialect. The dialect in Pudong, the city just across the river from Shanghai, is a little different from the Shanghai dialect although I can understand most of it and vice versa. The wikipedia article on the different dialects of Chinese is informative. I don't know the difference between dialect and language is, so I can't really say if Mandarin and Cantonese should be classified as languages or dialects.