While I was in Taipei I had a go at learning some Cantonese. With a copy of Teach Yourself Cantonese and some help from my Cantonese-speaking friends I managed to acquire a basic knowledge of the language.
In 1999 I tried to learn some more Cantonese to improve my chances of securing a job as a Chinese Student Advisor at the University of Luton. The textbook I used was Colloquial Cantonese, which is quite good, though I found the lack of Chinese characters in it somewhat frustrating.
I was invited for an interview for the Luton job, though by that time I had already been offered a job in Brighton. Having visited both Brighton and Luton the decision which to choose was not hard - the job in Luton might have been more interesting, but Brighton is a much more pleasant place to live, so I chose Brighton.
In 2025, in preparation for a visit to China, I started learning Cantonese again with the Ling App. I spent 6 weeks staying with friends in Zhaoqing (肇庆), a city in Guangdong Province in southern China, and a week in Hong Kong. During that time, I heard plenty of Cantonese, and spoke it a little, though I spoke a lot more Mandarin. I continued studying Cantonese while in China, and after I returned to the UK.
I am able to understand and read Cantonese to some extent, and have basic conversations.
Information about Cantonese | Phrases | Numbers | Family words | Time expressions | Tower of Babel | Cantonese courses on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]
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