cantonese
Out of context: Reply #6
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First off, start watching Hong Kong cinema. I mean A LOT OF IT. Make sure the movies are in Cantonese (that helps). This will help with the pronunciation sounds. There are 9 pitch levels in Chinese – both Mandarin and Cantonese.
The writing will be much more difficult. Oriental characters are based upon a memory system. So from youth, you're to practice writing and writing and writing until you remember each character.
Character sets are organised in familys that will help categorise them though so don't fret.
I suggest getting yourself to Chinatown to find a show that has a Chinese-English dictionary with large enough text to read without a magnifying glass. You can get electronic versions, but I think the better ones are in Hong Kong and you'd get ripped off buying one here.
If you haven't already, get some Cantonese friends to start familiarising you with everyday phrases – the basic holiday stuff.
I'm surprised you can't find a local community chinese school, Manchester has by far the largest schools in the country.
- 9 pitch levels? You mean tones, and there're only 4.funkage
- not bothered about writing at this point but will have another with the community. GF is chinese and she is a useless teacherWeLoveNoise
- teacherWeLoveNoise