HSK Exam - Shanghainese vs Cantonese - Page 2 -

> Learning Chinese > Non-Mandarin Chinese
Shanghainese vs Cantonese
Home New Posts

Login: Pass: Log in or register for standard view and full access.





Page 2 of 4 < 1 2 34 >






dalaowai -

Well you're a minority, because I've seldomly had a Shanghainese tolerate me trying to speak
Shanghaihua. To the exception of convenient store cashiers who don't want to be bothered to tell
the price in Mandarin. haha

Don't talk to me about any form of Chinese opera, they're all painful. I have tried to enjoy it to
no avail.

Ask your non-Shanghainese friends if they think about how Shanghaihua sounds. Stress that they
don't need to be polite about what they think, to be truthful with you. You'll see.



Pleco Software Learn Chinese with our Dictionaries for Palm and Pocket PC.
Learn Chinese in China Learn to speak Chinese 1MonthChinese.com -Mandarin School in China.
Chinese Textbooks Wide range, cheap, varied languages. Also Chinese cartoons, toys, gifts.
Study Chinese in Beijing Affordable Mandarin language courses at BLCU with ChinaUnipath.com.
HNHSoft Dictionary Learn Chinese on Smartphone and PDA with real person's voice.
XueXueXue IQChinese Get beyond the plateau.Take your Mandarin to a new level.
Chinese in Lijiang Short term Chinese study in a beautiful town with a focus on daily life.
MandarinTube Chinese Access to current everyday Chinese language and culture, 24/7.
Learn Chinese Homestay Chinese course, cultural activities & volunteer events in China.
Learn Chinese Online 1-on-1 instant tutoring, diverse courses, native teachers. FREE trial now!
Nihao Chinese Progam Free one-on-one Chinese lesson. Win 5-years of free lessons now!


About Ads (and how to hide them) -- Your message here









wai ming -

I think whether or not a language sounds pleasing to the ear really depends on your individual
preferences. Plenty of people tell me Cantonese sounds really harsh and ugly, but I actually like
the way it sounds That said, I think it also depends on how much exposure you've had to the
language. At the beginning, a lot of the Cantonese I did hear sounded quite harsh on the ears, but
as I met more Cantonese speakers and heard Cantonese spoken in more contexts, I met more people
who spoke Cantonese quite gently.

As for Shanghainese, the only time I've heard it spoken was when my friend was on the phone to her
mother, and the way she spoke sounded quite gently, but maybe it's just her

As for learning materials, I have a feeling that most of the materials available for Shanghainese
are either aimed at native Mandarin speakers (and are thus less accessible for those of us who are
still struggling with Mandarin) or are descriptions of it written by linguists... It's hard enough
to find good quality learning materials or courses for Cantonese beyond the tourist
phrasebook/beginner level, so I can't imagine how hard it must be for anyone interested in
learning Shanghainese.










L-F-J -

It sounds kind of nasal doesn't it?

Are there any places online to hear the Shanghai dialect?










rose~ -

I am learning Shanghainese now, L-F-J, and I haven't found materials apart from some books for
beginners that have cds. It seems to be a problem.

I must admit that I also thought my neighbours were arguing a lot, but then realised it was just
the dialect. I find Cantonese softer...(sorry...)










L-F-J -

Yup, I started looking for a second dialect to study after Mandarin. I liked Shanghainese and had
friends there but it was impossible to find anything on it in the US, or even online. I think to
learn it I'll have to live in Shanghai. But even then, how can I study enough on my own? So, I had
to switch to Cantonese, which I really like anyway.










gato -

Here's a site on Shanghainese that our old member "ala" used to mention from time to time. It may
be his site.
http://www.zanhe.com/l1.html










md1101 -

another problem is shanghainese is only really useful in shanghai. outside of shanghai it is quite
unlikely you would have a chance to use it. cantonese is used in southern china, hong kong, as
well as all over the world by the overseas chinese and thus is very useful for business and making
money. mandarin is an obvious choice but shanghainese is really a bit of a minority dialect.

that said i wish i could speak shanghainese as im sure itd help with business in shanghai. i would
assume the locals would respect you for wanting to learn it but i do hear a lot that the
shanghainese are very proud and probably wouldn't take too well to a foreigner trying to speak
their language. feel free to refute me on that!

i think it sounds very similiar to cantonese.. niether sound as good as mandarin in my opinion.










L-F-J -

but i do hear a lot that the shanghainese are very proud and probably wouldn't take too well to a
foreigner trying to speak their language.

Is that pride or selfishness?










Yuchi -



Quote:

Here's a site on Shanghainese that our old member "ala" used to mention from time to time. It may
be his site.
http://www.zanhe.com/l1.html

What ever happened to ala? I don't see his posts anymore and the site's bbs has been down for
quite some time.



Quote:

another problem is shanghainese is only really useful in shanghai. outside of shanghai it is quite
unlikely you would have a chance to use it.

There are other cities (Ningbo) with wu dialects, but Shanghai has the most popular. I'm not sure
of intelligibility, but my uncle said it's a bit different there [Ningbo], but not to the point
where he couldn't understand them.










wushijiao -



Quote:

There are other cities (Ningbo) with wu dialects, but Shanghai has the most popular. I'm not sure
of intelligibility, but my uncle said it's a bit different there [Ningbo], but not to the point
where he couldn't understand them.

I teach in Shanghai, and about 90% of my students are from Shanghai while about 10% are from other
areas close by. I've asked my students who are from Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu if they use
Shanghaihua to communicate with their Shanghaiese friends. It seems they mainly use Putonghua.
From what I've read, it seems that both parties could take a few days, or weeks, and become
familiar with the other's vocab and pronunciation, and then use their native hua's to communicate,
but, why would one do that if they can both easily use Putonghua? (Of course, this wasn't posible
for the older generations who don't speak good Putonghua.)

I think this points to the obvious fact that if Shanghaiese, or Wu, ever wants to flourish, a
standardized version of Wu needs to be popularized in the mass media. But, for better or for
worse, the government doesn't allow the widespread use of dialects in the mass media.

I think most Wu speakers seem to be unaware that they speak a “dialect/ regionalect/
language/话”(take your pick)- Wu. Instead, they simply think they speak “X city-话”. So,
as the younger generations speak better and better Putonghua, the solidarity in uniting to form a
solid block to prevent the total destruction of the Wu dialects likewise decreases. In other
words, Putonghua, that brutish northern warrior, is practicing a sly form of 反间计: divide and
conquer!












All times are GMT +8. The time now is 04:50 PM.














Learn Chinese, Learning Mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet