Cantonese (Teach Yourself Languages) - Softcover

Cantonese is a vital living language spoken by upwards of a hundred million people in south-east China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysia, Europe, Australia, Fiji, North America and many other parts of the world where the adventurous Cantonese people have settled. It is one of a large family of Chinese languages and retains many more traces of its ancient roots than do most of the other languages. On the other hand it is a language which seems unafraid to adopt or adapt, notably from English in the past century or so, and it invents, evolves and discards slang at a frenetic rate. As a result it is a very rich language. Introducing a wide range of topics and language structures, the course aims to help users progress from the basics to understanding, speaking and writing Cantonese with confidence. Key structures and vocabulary are introduced in 26 thematic units progressing from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to work and finance. Most of the units follow the same pattern: two dialogues, each with a list of new words used and explanations of new grammar points, followed by some exercises.There are four revision units giving more material based on wh