Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

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!

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